Betrayed
by TheKaiserofDestruction
Summary: Betrayed and banished. These words describe the life of Percy Jackson. After being betrayed by the one he had loved and the ones he considered friends, Percy was banished to eternal torture in Tartarus. Somehow, he escaped. And now, not only must he fight the most dangerous enemy the universe has ever encountered, but he must survive against an equally dangerous opponent. Himself.
1. Betrayed and Banished

**Disclaimer: I don't own PJO.**

**Heroes of Olympus never happened. Romans don't appear. No prophecy was given at the end of The Last Olympian.**

* * *

It was a bright sunny day in Camp Half-Blood. The demigods were bustling about, doing different activities. There were currently over two hundred demigods in Camp-Half Blood. After the renowned Hero of Olympus, Percy Jackson, turned down the Olympians' offer of immortality and instead wished for all the demigods to be recognized and sent to Camp Half-Blood, the number of demigods at Camp Half-Blood increased exponentially.

Once returning to Camp Half-Blood, Percy Jackson and his best friend, Annabeth Chase, finally became a couple. The camp was overjoyed and relieved. After years of skirting around each other, the two finally admitted to their love. There was a great celebration at camp, and even Dionysus himself, although injured, came. Although it was just to see his remaining son, Dionysus still surprised the demigods by thanking Percy for saving his son.

Life was perfect.

Everything was peaceful.

There were no monster attacks, no Titans, no…nothing.

It seemed that the darkness was gone for good.

But…that is impossible.

Darkness never dies. It simply manifests into another form. A stronger form.

And it was caused by the Olympians themselves.

* * *

_**One year later…**_

Percy Jackson stood in front of the Olympian Council. Now, all major and minor gods were a part of the council. That was part of Percy's wish. And it was now stabbing him in the back (not literally of course).

Recently, Percy was accused of betraying the gods. He had been working as a spy for Gaea all along, playing dumb, becoming the strongest, and gaining everyone's trust to become the leader of the demigods so that he could destroy them. And how was he so powerful? Gaea blessed him, obviously, as Athena stated. She began spreading rumors with the help of the other gods who hated Percy. The demigods started to turn against him, his friends betrayed him, and then it happened.

Annabeth had accused him in front of the gods at a party in Olympus. As she yelled about how Percy betrayed her and cheated her, the throne room became silent almost instantly. He tried to deny it—oh, the amount of times he tried! But no one bought it. In fact, Athena supported her daughter, claiming that she knew all along, but did not want to hurt her daughter. The god Ares immediately pinned Percy before he could escape, as Ares claimed.

And now, shackled with Celestial Bronze chains and standing before the Olympians, waiting for their judgment, Percy Jackson was broken inside. Eyes watering with betrayal and hurt, he stared at the girl who accused him. What did he do wrong? Surely, this…all of this…it was a joke. A prank. It had to be. _It had to be…_

They say that the most noble hold the most pain. And now, it was confirmed to be true. As his remaining supporters watched helplessly and the ones who betrayed him watched with disgusted faces, the gods raised their hands to vote.

The gods voting no were crushed by the gods voting yes. Percy stared at the council in shock. After all he did for the gods; this…was how he was repaid. Athena stared at Percy with disgust.

Zeus looked at Percy with a sad look. Even he had the right mind not to vote for Percy to be punished. "It is decided. Punishment will be given. I am sorry, Percy," Zeus sighed. Although shocked, Percy couldn't help but smile inside as Zeus called Percy "Percy." He stared at Zeus, knowing what was coming. He knew what happened to traitors. He himself had seen it happen once to a son of Hyperion who was friends with him at Camp Half-Blood—at least, until he was betrayed by the son of Hyperion. As punishment, the gods threw the son of Hyperion into Tartarus. Although betrayed and angry, Percy protested to give him another chance. In response, Athena convinced Zeus to banish the son of Hyperion, stating that because she was the goddess of justice, she knew that he deserved it.

And now, the same thing happened today. "You will be cast into Tartarus for eternal torture," Zeus stated reluctantly. "I'm sorry." To see the king of the gods showing a demigod respect was shocking.

Percy, still being noble, saved Zeus's pride. "No," he stated, smiling a bit. "I'm sorry. For not being the hero you all expected. But I want to thank you, my friends and family who stayed by my side. It's gladdening to see that I still have some friends left in this world. It's been an honor to fight by your side. Thank you."

Zeus nodded, smiling a bit. "Hades, escort Percy to Tartarus. And take those blasted shackles off of him!"

Hades got up and snapped his fingers. The chains fell to the ground. Percy rubbed his wrists and then approached Zeus. Hades made no motion to stop him. The gods stirred, but Zeus held up his hand, stopping them.

"What is it, Percy?" he asked.

Percy took a pen out of his pocket. Anaklusmos. He held it out to Zeus. "Take it," he requested. "Give it to Zoë Nightshade. She's in the heavens. This weapon belongs to her. And tell her I said 'hi.'" Some gods chuckled at that last phrase. Even Zeus smiled. He took it from Percy.

"I will do as you wish, Percy." Zeus looked at Hades and nodded. Hades nodded and gestured to Percy. "Goodbye, Percy Jackson. And good luck." Percy nodded, smiling and started to follow Hades. Although the gods didn't say it, they noticed the broken look in his eyes.

"Wait," Annabeth called. She walked up to Percy and stared at him. He stared back. "Why did you do it? Why did you play with me? Why did you play with my heart?! Why did you betray us?!"

Percy was silent before answering. "I think you know the answer to that," he said quietly.

"You piece of crap!" _SLAP!_ Annabeth struck Percy so hard the sound of the slap echoed in the throne room. The gods and goddesses were silent. They glanced at one another while Athena smiled smugly. _The sea spawn is finally getting what he deserves, _she thought. _Worthless brat._

"Never talk to me again!" Annabeth screamed as she lashed out with her knife. Percy was caught off guard and the knife cut a deep gash from his right eye down to his chin. Percy was so shocked that he didn't register the pain. The Curse of Achilles never failed him until now. How was it possible?

"Annabeth…" Percy began, but Annabeth put her dagger to Percy's throat.

"Any last words before Tartarus, _traitor_?"

Percy stared at Annabeth before pushing her away. "You know what in fact I do," he stated. Annabeth raised an eyebrow and motioned dramatically for him to continue.

"Well, get on with it, _Seaweed Brain!_"

Percy turned to the gods. "Whenever there is another war and you need me to fight. When you try to free me, I won't be there. I may hate the Titans, but now, I have no love for the gods." He turned to leave.

"Wait." Poseidon teleported to his son and shrunk down to human size. He stared at Percy with eyes full of pain. "No matter where you are, or what you do, remember that I will support you, Percy."

Percy smiled but did not turn around. "Thanks dad. For everything." He turned around and gave Poseidon a hug. "I'll miss our surf boarding contests." Poseidon smiled sadly.

"Goodbye, my son." Percy nodded sadly and Hades grabbed his shoulder. The two of them walked into a shadow and disappeared.

Then Poseidon collapsed. The gods shouted in surprise and Apollo rushed to help the sea god, but Poseidon then got up and blasted Apollo into the sun god's own throne, denting the gold metal. Poseidon's eyes were black as night. He pointed his trident at Athena and spoke, but his voice was not his.

_"YOU WILL PAY FOR WHAT YOU'VE DONE…"_ Poseidon rasped. The voice speaking through Poseidon clearly had a huge amount of power. The gods gasped and Poseidon blinked. His eyes returned to their normal color. "What happened?"

Zeus stared at Poseidon. "We have a lot to talk about, brother. But first, I will fulfill Percy Jackson's request." Zeus vanished in a bright flash of light.

* * *

Percy and Hades slowly walked towards Tartarus. The Underworld seemed…happier now after Percy's wish. It seemed more powerful.

As the god of the Underworld and the son of Poseidon walked, Hades spoke. "I never got to thank you for saving my children. Even if Bianca died, I would like to thank you for saving Nico and treating him like your own brother."

"You're welcome," Percy chuckled, as if he wasn't worried about eternal torture. "It was nice, but I wish Bianca was safe as well."

"She is in a happy place. She deserves the peace."

"I know. Say, could you do me one favor?" Percy asked.

"What is it, Perseus?"

"Okay, actually two favors."

"Yes?" Hades glanced at the cut on Percy's face.

"Could you escort my mom and my stepdad Paul to Elysium once they die? Both of them deserve it."

Hades smiled. "Heart of a hero. No wonder Hestia was impressed by you. Yes, I will do it. I swear it on the Styx." The ground rumbled as the oath was made and thunder rumbled from somewhere. "And now you're second request?" The two had reached the edge of Tartarus.

Percy walked to edge of the pit and turned around, facing Hades with a grin. "Call me Percy." Percy then let himself fall into Tartarus. Hades stared at the boy until he disappeared into the impenetrable darkness of Tartarus. As Hades turned around to leave, he saw a man standing several yards from him.

"Who are you?" Hades demanded. His sword appeared in his hand. "Identify yourself!"

"I am but a no one." The stranger walked past Hades and stood at the edge of the pit. "Take care, Hades. And keep your promise to my champion." The stranger jumped into the pit. Hades stared at him in shock before shadow traveling to his palace.

* * *

_**Inside Tartarus…**_

"WAAAAH!" Percy screamed as he free fell towards the ground. It was after falling in that his brain processed what was going on and regretted jumping in.

He collided with the ground at terminal velocity and groaned. "Why aren't I dead?" Percy muttered. "Oh wait…I already am, aren't I…" He slowly got up and trudged toward a random direction, looking for shelter.

As he hiked though a desert, Percy caught sight of something. An army of monsters. Percy was immediately sighted and surrounded. He had no weapon, no powers, no nothing. Except the Curse of Achilles. That would have to be enough.

"What issss thissss?" a dracaenae hissed. "A lost demigod in Tartarus?"

"Um…I don't want any trouble," Percy said nervously. "So could you guys like, just move on and find someone else to snack on?"

"Well, well! A lost demigod in Tartarus! What are you doing here, demi—YOU!" An armored figure strode out from the ring of monsters and took off his helmet. It was Bane, the son of Hyperion. "Sup, Perce."

"Bane," Percy said in surprise. "What are you—"

"You're not the only one in Tartarus, remember? I formed this army after banishment. I'm surprised some monsters haven't recognized you yet. I'm sure they would love to have a piece of you." Bane smirked. "So what's the deal? You lost or somethin'?"

Percy looked away. "Banished. Like you. I was accused of betraying the gods by my own girlfriend and her mother."

Bane raised an eyebrow and laughed. "Damn! That's harsh! Well, since we're on the same team, what do you say we fight together as two leaders and conquer the gods?"

"No." Percy's response was clear and loud. "I may hate the gods now, but I don't like the Titans either. Both deities have killed lots of people I cared about. I'm not helping any one anymore."

Bane narrowed his eyes. "You will join us or die!" He drew a double bladed sword which glowed and then the blade caught on fire.

"I don't even have a weapon," Percy said. The monsters tossed him a xiphos and a shield. Percy picked up both, gesturing that his answer was clear. He would fight Bane.

"Hah!" Bane lunged at Percy, but Percy blocked and counter attacked. It was a while since he had fought with a sword _and_ shield. He was rusty and Bane had only enhanced his abilities. Bane slashed and Percy blocked with his shield, but the impact was enough to send a shockwave down the son of the sea god's spine. Percy winced and counter attacked, stabbing at Bane's stomach, but Bane blocked and swiped at Percy, who dodged and slammed his shield against Bane, forcing the two apart.

"Nice, Percy, nice," Bane said, grinning. "I think I'll enjoy killing you."

Percy was already tired. He realized that Tartarus was draining him of his strength and his will. Percy's legs wobbled, but he still lunged and slammed his shield against Bane, who slashed and managed to cut Percy's shirt a little. Bane growled and lunged forward slashing wildly. Percy ducked and stabbed at Bane's thigh. Bane collapsed and got up, limping and cursing.

"Behold, the true power of Hyperion!" He held out his hands upward. A huge ball of fire formed above him. Percy stared in shock. "I like to call this one: Solar Flare! HAH!" Bane thrust his hands forward, and the ball of fire flew at Percy before he could react. He yelled in pain and flew backwards. He picked up his sword. The shield was gone.

"Kill him, monsters!" Bane yelled gleefully. The monsters let out their battle cries and rushed at Percy as one. He managed to duck under one slash of a sword and stabbed a dracaenae. He then killed three more dracaenae and six telekines. He then spun around, holding his sword out and created a ring of dust around him. The monsters ran at him like a flock of crows. It took all of Percy's skill to block and dodge and fight. Soon, piles of dust lay around him.

Then a monster slashed with his sword and cut a gash from Percy's left shoulder all the way to his hip. He yelled in pain and then another monster sliced downwards and then kicked Percy, sending him flying into the sand several yards away. How could the Curse of Achilles fail him again? His arm, his body, it all hurt so much…wait…his arm..? No…it couldn't be…Percy looked at his left arm. It wasn't…there. The pain then struck and nearly made Percy pass out. He was weak, vulnerable, and he had lost. His sword was gone. He looked at the monster army as it tore his arm into shreds and ate it with glee. He almost threw up at the sight and panted from the pain of amputation.

Bane approached him. "The Curse of Achilles…it has no affect here, Percy." He slashed and Percy felt pain like he had never experienced before. It was worse than holding up the sky or bathing in the Styx. All of it hurt. He couldn't help but scream in pain.

"AUUUUUUGGGHH!" Percy collapsed on his back. His arms were gone. His legs…by the gods…no. His legs were gone as well. Percy was defeated and about to die. Bane slowly approached him. "Bane…please…don't…" The pain was too much for Percy to handle. He went unconscious as his blood levels decreased and as the pain overwhelmed him.

"Sorry, Percy. Have fun in the Void." Bane stabbed downwards, but his sword was knocked away and he was blasted back by a huge amount of force. Bane got up and lunged, but the stranger blasted him back with even more force. Bane tried again and again, but failed repeatedly.

"WHO ARE YOU?!" Bane screamed in shock and rage. The stranger was standing next to Percy. The stranger held a hand to Percy's injuries and cauterized them. He looked at Percy's cut on his face and shook his head in dismay. The stranger turned to Bane. He had black eyes that pulsed with power. His hair was black, and everything he wore was black. His shoes, pants, shirt, and cloak were all black as night. He was holding a glowing black double edged blade. "I SAID WHO ARE YOU?!"

"I am the patron of Perseus Jackson," the stranger replied calmly. "I chose him as my champion. I am Xodius, Utherian god of destruction, darkness, light, power, and death. I am also the god of the four elements of life: earth, fire, water, and lightning."

"Impossible! You lie!" Bane screamed.

Xodius raised an eyebrow. He turned to the monster army which backed up, uncertain of what to do.

"Attack, you idiots!" Bane screamed, pointing his sword at Xodius. The monsters let out a pitiful battle cry and charged.

Xodius's eyes flashed. "Die." Every monster immediately fell dead. They weren't piles of dust, however. They were actually dead like mortals. Xodius held out his hand and the monsters crumbled into golden dust, which flew into Xodius's hand. He had absorbed the monsters' essences. "Too weak." Xodius turned to Percy and place his hand on his chest. "I'll be back later. Today is not the time to fight, son of Hyperion. Farewell." Xodius and Percy disappeared in a flash of light. Bane screamed in rage and a ring of fire erupted around him.

* * *

Xodius appeared in a flash of light in the Utherian infirmary holding Percy in his arms. "My lord!" a servant approached him. Xodius walked past him and placed Percy gently onto a bed.

"Put him to sleep until I am ready to give him back what he lost," Xodius commanded. The servant did as he commanded and then turned to Xodius.

"But without lady Elise's healing powers, can you—"

"I cannot give back his biological limbs. I do not have the power. However, I can create artificial ones. Percy is my champion. I will not let him lose the ability to run, walk, and do what he was able to do with his limbs. He will be my apprentice and assassin. I will care for him like a father. Now please leave us."

"Yes, my lord." The servant left the infirmary, leaving the Utherian god alone with Percy.

"Perseus Jackson, I give you my blessing." Xodius placed his hand on Percy and transferred a portion of his powers into Percy. Even without limbs and severely injured, the young demigod glowed with power. "I must inform Chaos of this." Xodius flashed out.

From today, darkness took over a soul. But this time, light had taken over that soul as well. The light and dark combined, forming equilibrium of power and control, creating a very powerful being.

That being is Perseus Jackson.

And he wants revenge.

Revenge for what happened to him.

Revenge against the ones who betrayed him.

Revenge against the one who started it all: _Athena_.


	2. Is Murder The Answer?

_**Two years later…**_

'Begin!" Several black gates opened around Percy, letting loose hundreds of monsters. Hellhounds, dracaenae, telekhines, Cyclopes, Laistrygonian giants, and other monsters all charged at Percy. He held his right arm out and it transformed into a glowing sword. But how did this happen? It turned out that the limbs Xodius created were actually able to turn into any weapon Percy wanted. However, because he trained with swords for the longest, Percy still preferred using blades instead of any other weapon. Percy was now nineteen years in age, but last year, Percy was made immortal by Xodius. However, Percy could still fall in battle. Xodius explained the reason he couldn't make Percy a god was simply because he could not. So Percy became a perfect assassin and a perfect apprentice. He went to different planets around the universe, striking down extreme dictators and drug dealers. But for now, he was training.

"Aaaahh!" Percy rushed at the monsters with incredible speed. As he ran, several copies of him came into existence, and then Percy lunged along with his copies. In mere seconds, the monsters were mere piles of dust.

Percy panted, trying to catch his breath as his copies disappeared. "Wh-what was t-the speed, Bill?" Even though the battle was only a few seconds, Percy was already tired from the effort of moving at huge speeds. His powers and robotic limbs enabled him to be able to move at supersonic speeds, but it was still not enough compared to the cowardly beings Percy often faced when on covert missions.

Percy's servant, Bill, studied a replay of the battle. "Mach 5 at most, sir."

Percy swore. "Damn it. I'm still not fast enough." Percy's left arm turned into a cannon and Percy absentmindedly shot it at a random wood target in the training gym. The target exploded, sending embers everywhere. "What will it take to be able to stand up to the enemy?!"

"Perhaps if your legs were more upgraded…maybe you could…"

"No. We've tried that, haven't we? It won't do much. And you know how much I hate upgrades. It's so freaking annoying to install them." Percy's feet turned into rocket boosters, and he shot into the air, heading towards the exit.

"Yes sir."

Percy stopped and turned around, smiling. "Are you mocking me?"

"Yes, sir," Bill said seriously. "Oh, and your father wishes to see you, sir."

"Got it." Percy flew out the exit and rushed for Xodius's throne room. Two years ago, Percy was adopted by Xodius. He had a portion of his adoptive father's powers, and also got several interesting battle strategies from Xodius's blessing.

It had been two years now. Two years since Percy was betrayed. And still…he remembered it all as if it happened yesterday. But that wasn't all. Percy was beginning to have dreams about his failures, about his weaknesses, and especially about that day in Tartarus…

Percy burst into the throne room, did a somersault in the air and landed on his feet like some kind of Jedi. Xodius stared at him with amusement.

"Always the dramatic one, eh?" he said. Percy grinned.

"You called, pops?"

Xodius smiled. "I have another recruit for you." He turned to the shadows next to a black column. Percy turned to the shadows and his right arm turned into a sword again, for he sensed something new. Something…like a god.

"That is not necessary, Percy," Xodius said cheerfully. "Megan? Please come out."

A girl stepped out from behind the column nervously. The girl was wearing jeans and a white t-shirt. She had pure golden eyes and golden hair. She looked like a modernized…what was her name again? Repulsel…no Rapunzel. Percy cocked an eyebrow, immediately analyzing her. She seemed to be doing the same to him. She glanced at his sword arm. "Who's this?" Percy asked his father.

"Her name is Megan Miller. I found her cornered in the streets of Manhattan, about to be killed." Xodius nodded towards the exit. "Why don't you test her abilities, Percy? I'm sure you'll find her powers…interesting at least." Percy frowned at his father, confused. "Well, I have a meeting with Chaos. I will be back by tomorrow."

"Alright, dad." Xodius nodded and disappeared into the shadows.

Percy approached Megan. His sword turned back into his arm. "So, M&M, you think you're ready to be on this team?"

"M&M, huh?" Megan said, smiling. "And here I was, thinking that you might be an annoying prick. Well, you know my nickname now, Astro Boy."

Percy glanced at her, amused. "Well…enough talk. Let's test your powers." Percy grabbed Megan's shoulder and they both disappeared in a flash of golden light. They reappeared inside the training gym.

"Good luck, M&M." Percy mock-saluted to Megan who rolled her eyes.

Megan looked at Percy confused. "Good luck with what?"

"This." Percy nodded to Alpha and the servant flicked his hand, opening the black gates once more. Twenty hellhounds ran out from the gates. "Well, have fun."

"Aren't you going to give me something to fight with?" Megan demanded, putting her hands on her hips, annoyed. Megan could easily fight the hellhounds off, but was annoyed that she would have to do it without any help from a weapon. And hellhounds weren't exactly running around holding swords in their mouths.

"I'd rather not," Percy said in a bored voice. "This is a test for your powers and skill. Don't worry, these monsters won't kill you. Probably. I think. But if they come close to, I'll heal you and just erase your memory of this encounter."

"I hate you."

"This team isn't for weaklings. It's only for survivors. I won't accept you until you've passed all the trials."

Megan growled. "Fine then. I'll deal with these with my powers."

"That's the spirit!" Percy chirped happily, patting Megan on the head. Her eyes flashed and she grabbed his arm and judo-flipped him onto his back.

Percy grinned, not affected at all. "Attacking your trainer before the battle even begins? I like it. But…" Percy teleported five feet from Megan by moving as a beam of light. "You'll need a lot more than that you defeat me, M&M. But first, the hellhounds."

Megan turned to the hellhounds. The monsters growled at her, ready to attack. "Well, begin." Percy waved his hand and the hellhounds charged forward, eager for blood.

Megan smirked. She ran forward towards the hellhounds. As they pounced, she seemed to dodge every one of their attacks. Eventually, the hellhounds ended up giving up and ran back into the gates, frustrated for being beaten by a mere demigod who didn't even attack.

"Interesting tactic," Percy noted. _But nothing I haven't seen before…_ he thought. "Next!"

Thirty dracaenae charged from the gates towards Megan. She ran forward again, but this time, she grabbed a dracaena's spear and jumped backwards. She backtracked for a few more seconds before lunging forward, stabbing two dracaenae. Megan immediately grabbed another dracaena's spear and knocked aside the thrust of another dracaena. She backtracked once more before lunging forward. She continued to use this strategy flawlessly, destroying the snake women. Percy raised an eyebrow at her technique. _What was she doing in the streets of New York? And where did she learn this technique?_ He thought.

Megan panted. She looked at Percy, grinning. "What's for dessert?"

Percy smirked, deciding to test her skill to the maximum. "This is your final challenge." His arms morphed into blades. "Fight me!" He charged at supersonic speeds, but Megan somehow dodged his attack. He smiled internally. It was a while since anyone was able to dodge that attack.

Percy spun around and charged again, but was knocked back by a blast of energy. He rolled backwards and narrowed his eyes. The girl…no child of an Olympian or Titan could create a blast of pure light. She had to be a child of…no… _Impossible!_ Percy thought. He charged again, going easy on Megan, and hoping that she would see his blind spot.

She did.

The blast of light struck Percy on his back, sending him flying forward. His legs turned into rockets and steadied him. Percy fell to the ground and charged the second he landed. Megan didn't stand a chance. Soon, she was covered in small cuts. She winced and backtracked. Percy appeared before her and grinned.

"Nice. I never thought you would last this long, M&M," Percy said sincerely. "I gotta say, I have a lot of respect for you. Especially since your dad would probably sunburn me to a crisp if I don't."

"Huh? How'd you know that my dad is a—" Megan stammered.

"God?" Percy finished. "Only Aether has the ability to shoot lasers like you."

"That is correct." Percy whirled around and his right arm morphed into a cannon.

"Who's there?!" Percy demanded. Megan gasped.

"Aether is here." The Primordial god shimmered into existence. Percy immediately bowed, morphing his arms back to normal.

"Lord Aether, my apologies," Percy said. Aether held up his hand.

"There is no need. You thought you heard an enemy. You responded with offensive tactics. It is merely natural. Anyways…" Aether gestured to the shadows. "May we speak in private, Perseus?"

"It's just Percy."

"Percy."

"Dad, call him Astro Boy," Megan said. A fire tornado literally appeared over Percy's head in annoyance as he scowled. Both father and daughter laughed at Percy's reaction. Percy grumbled and followed Aether to the shadows.

"Percy, I have a request to ask you," Aether said in worried tone.

"Yeah?" Percy asked.

"No matter what happens…will you keep my daughter safe? Please. Don't let anyone hurt her." Percy's heart seemed to tie itself into knots as he remembered the people who betrayed him.

"I can't guarantee that she won't get injured, but I will protect her from death, no matter what. I swear it on Lord Chaos's name."

"Thank you, Percy, You seem to be a man of your word." Aether disappeared in a flash of golden light. _Yeah, unlike the people I called "friends,"_ Percy thought.

Percy was about to head back to Megan, but then Alpha spoke up. "Sir, there are two more demigods for the trials." Percy groaned.

* * *

_**Ten years after Percy was banished to Tartarus…**_

_**In some suburban house in America…**_

"HEY HEY HEY! PERCE!" Andrew shouted, running into the living room holding a game over his head. The two new members to the team were Andrew Smith and Simon Smith. Yes, they were twins. They were both immortal thirteen year olds, and really hyper. They were the sons of Hypnos, the god of sleep. So…screw logic.

"What?" Percy said, annoyed. He had been trying to get some sleep. At least he got about...ten seconds…never mind.

"I got the—"

"Play with M&M, Andrew," Percy yawned, getting up. He just remembered now. "I gotta take care of something."

"Like what?" Megan walked into the living room. Although it was eight years after she met Percy, she looked the same. But then again, she was turned immortal at eighteen. So she was a year younger than Percy. The strangest thing? She was dating her grand nephew.

That's right.

You guessed it.

Percy Jackson was her boyfriend. Once again, common sense just went down the drain.

"Business. It's a secret." Percy summoned a black cloak from the shadows. "I won't return for a week. Try not to destroy the place, please. I'd rather not move again." Percy disappeared into the shadows as Simon and Andrew snickered.

* * *

_**At Manhattan… **_**  
**

A stranger walked out of the shadows of an alleyway and walked through the busy crowd of New York. The stranger smiled sadistically and pulled off his hood, revealing Percy's face. It was time.

Percy slowly walked towards his mother's home. Oh…this was going to be fun.

On the way, he crashed into someone. It was a man dressed in a neat suit. The man seemed to be about forty, and he seemed to be in a hurry.

"Hey, watch where you're going, kid!" Percy's eyes flashed before he smiled sadistically, sending shivers down the man's spine. Percy chuckled and kept walking. The man grumbled about how teenagers were so annoying. Percy smiled evilly and kept walking. Behind him, the shadows stirred before lashing out at the man. Nobody noticed the man or the shadows as they wrapped around the arms and legs of the screaming man.

"Now you'll see what it feels like," Percy muttered, smiling. "To lose your limbs." As if on cue, the shadows pulled in four different directions, ripping the man's limbs clean off of him. Blood spurted everywhere as the shadows vanished. Then the mortals noticed the dying man. They screamed and quickly dialed for paramedics. Luckily, the man survived somehow. But little did they know that it was only because Percy had allowed it. Percy laughed to himself and kept walking.

* * *

_**A few minutes later…**_

Poseidon sat in his throne room at Atlantis, bored out of his mind. Undersea politics were becoming more and more irritating—especially since Percy wasn't there to lift everybody's spirits. _Percy…_Poseidon wanted to see his lost son so much, it hurt. There were often times when he felt like fading. Curse Athena. Why was it that she had to screw everything up for him?!

The air in front of him shimmered, telling him that he was getting an Iris Message. He did not react much, but instead closed his eyes. Once he sensed that the Iris Message was connected, he spoke.

"What now, brother?" Zeus's messages were very frequent nowadays. But of course, Poseidon didn't bother paying much attention to them.

"I'm not your brother," a voice said, amusement in his tone. Poseidon opened his eyes and instantly sat up.

"Percy." Poseidon's eyes widened at Percy's appearance. His son was okay. His son was alive. "You're…you're…you're…"

"I know, dad." Percy was smiling. However, Poseidon felt a little wary of the way Percy smiled. It was as if…as if he had something evil in plan.

"How are you?" Poseidon instantly winced at his own question, knowing how stupid it was. But his son's answer was stranger.

"I'm actually doing great, dad. Best I've ever felt, actually." Percy smiled even more. Poseidon felt really worried now. "I escaped Tartarus the same day I entered it."

"Percy…where are you? Let me protect you," Poseidon said. If Percy had escaped Tartarus, it would only be a matter of time before a war began.

"No need, dad. I actually thought…" Percy reached down, temporarily going out of sight. "…that I might visit my mom and Paul." Percy was smiling sadistically now, holding two decapitated heads. Poseidon paled at the sight. It was…it was…was…Sally and Paul's heads. Their bodies…were…missing…and their faces…they held…the expressions were ones of pure…fear….

"P-Percy…" Poseidon just couldn't speak anymore. "W-w-what have you done...?"

"I thought you'd be proud of me. After all, I'm just a mistake. So I destroyed the ones who created the mistake. Who gave birth to it. Who fed it. Who sat back and did nothing as it was destroyed." Percy threw Paul's head over his shoulder and grabbed Sally's jaw, opening. "Mom says 'hi,' dad."

"You—Percy, you mustn't do this!"

"Why?" Percy laughed. "I've already done it! And don't worry, dad." Percy eyes gleamed with insanity. "I'm not done yet. And what happened to always supporting me?"

"But this—!"

"Don't worry. I don't hold a grudge against you. I can be called a mistake. It doesn't matter. I am one," Percy said smiling brightly. "But…the real mistake? I think you who it is."

"What are you talking about?"

Percy smiled evilly, sending shivers down Poseidon's spine—a feeling he had not felt for millennia. He spread his hands. "Organisms should be born biologically. Not mentally. I'm going to destroy the man who helped cause this abomination."

It took a while for Poseidon to understand. Then his eyes widen with realization. "No, Percy, don't do this! This is murder!"

"But in my eyes, I'm delivering justice." Percy's eyes gleamed once more with insanity and darkness. "Just like your rival, eh? You should be happy." Percy lit Sally's head on fire and threw it over his head. "I'm destroying the heart of her daughter and of herself."

"No!"

Percy roared with evil laughter. "Too late."

"No!" Poseidon was too late. Percy had already cut the connection. Poseidon had to warn Athena. But little did he know that he was too late.

On the other side of the connection, Percy laughed. He held out his hand and fire shot from it, lighting the living room on fire. Time for his next victims.

* * *

_**Several minutes before Manhattan…**_

It was a normal day at Camp Half-Blood. Campers were frolicking about, doing different activities, the Hermes children were pranking others and each other, the Apollo cabin was shooting arrows and playing basketball, the Ares cabin was training, and the other cabins were doing whatever.

But for Annabeth Chase, it was a terrible day. Life without Percy was terrible. She felt stupid, idiot, and disgraceful for siding against him when he needed her the most. To make matters worse, she was made immortal. She wasn't a god, but she wouldn't die like the Hunters, and she could teleport to any location she desired. However, the immortality did nothing to help Annabeth forget Percy. But now, she felt that she had moved on. Who needed Percy Jackson?

As she relaxed next to Peleus at Thalia's pine tree, a note appeared in front of her. She picked it up and read it.

_Come to your parents' home for a surprise, Wise Girl._

_Love,_

_-Seaweed Brain_

Annabeth, suspecting nothing except the fact that Percy could even send this message from Tartarus, teleported to her father's home. As she walked in, she began to feel uneasy. It was quiet. Too quiet. She couldn't hear her stepmother singing softly along with the radio, which was turned off. Her father wasn't muttering as he read some aviation book. Nothing was cooking in the kitchen. Nothing was being washed. It was…quite eerie for Annabeth. The place had never been this quiet before.

"Dad? Mom?" No answer. Annabeth slowly walked up the stairs. Had they left for shopping or something?

As she neared the top of the stairs, she heard a voice that sent shivers down her spine. "Just come up here, Wise Girl," Percy's voice said. The lights were off and the windows were blocked, leaving the place in darkness. Annabeth heard someone flip the light switch. The light turned on, revealing something Annabeth would have never imagined—not even in her nightmares.

Percy was standing behind Annabeth's dad, stepmom, and stepbrothers, who were all tied up and gagged, kneeling helplessly. Percy's right arm was morphed into a blade and he rested his sword arm on Annabeth's stepmother's shoulder, who was shaking in fear. Percy's left arm was morphed into a cannon, which he was pointing at Annabeth's father's head.

"Sup, Wise Girl," Percy said smiling, like some serial killer.

Annabeth paled. "P-Percy…Why are you doing this?"

"Because it feels good. Because I like it. Because I want revenge," Percy said cheerfully, still smiling.

"They're innocent!"

"Not to me. They raised a child who is a mistake. Like me."

"Percy…how did you escape Tartarus?"

Percy grinning even more. "That's a story for another time, Annabeth. And now, Annabeth, I need your help."

"W-with what?" Annabeth asked, her curiosity overruling her conscience.

Percy gestured to the hostages with his cannon. "Who should I kill first?"

Annabeth nearly collapsed at his question. "No-no one. Please."

"No decision? Alright." Percy sliced sideways, with his sword arm. Annabeth's stepmom's head rolled towards Annabeth, who shrieked in fear and back away.

"No…" she murmured, tears spilling out. "Don't do this, Percy."

"No decision again? Meh." Percy smiled as he blew Annabeth's father's head into bits and pieces of bone, tissue, and blood.

"No! Please…don't do this, I'll do anything!"

"Then CHOOSE!" Percy said, laughing. He turned his cannon arm back to normal and wrapped it around Bobby's face and put his sword under Matthew's chin. Although Annabeth's stepbrothers were now grown up and living separately from their parents, it was clear that Percy had found them.

"Choose for me, Annabeth!" Percy continued, laughing. "Choose as you always have!"

Annabeth shook her head as tears fell. "I'll choose then," she murmured.

Percy smiled. "Finally. About time, Wise Girl. Now, which of your brothers do you want to see die by your hand?"

"Yours," Annabeth growled, pointing at Percy's chest. "Kill yourself."

Everything was silent. Then Percy laughed. "I would, but I'm a soulless wretch, Annabeth," he chuckled. "I can't die. So you haven't answered correctly. The correct answer was…MATTHEW!" Percy swiping his sword, slitting Matthew's throat. Annabeth's stepbrother fell to the ground, dying as blood poured from his neck.

"NO!" Annabeth cried. Percy's sword arm returned to normal and he pressed his hands on both sides of Bobby's head.

"Don't make such a fuss, Annabeth. I've saved the best for last just for you!" Percy said, smiling brightly.

"Percy…please…don't do this…he's innocent…let him go…kill me instead!" Annabeth begged.

Percy cocked his head, appearing to think. Then he smiled again. "Nah." He pressed hard, and Bobby's head exploded, sending bone, tissue, and blood everywhere. Percy licked his lips, smiling. "I haven't tasted human before, but I must say, it tastes good."

Percy smiled at Annabeth. "Go to your precious camp. Tell them nothing. If you do, I will kill every last man, woman, and child who know what you have said." Annabeth paled. Percy's arms turned into blades and he slashed at Annabeth, knowing perfectly well what she would do. Without fail, Annabeth teleported away. Percy smiled and lit the place on fire before teleporting away to Manhattan.

* * *

_**Several days later…one day before Percy is due to return to Megan, Andrew, and Simon…**_

Alfred Harverson sat in the hospital bed, sleeping peacefully. It was the middle of the night. Little did he know that his sleep would be painfully interrupted.

Yes.

He was the one who lost his limbs to the shadows Percy had conjured.

He was traumatized, just like Percy, but did not have artificial limbs to help deal with the mental pain.

He wished for the pain to end.

He wished to leave.

He wished to die.

However, you must be careful for what you truly wish for, dear reader.

You might just get it.

Next morning, the doctors and nurses found him dead in the room, apparently trying to get away from some murderer who had vanished like a ghost. Alfred had a look of pure fear on his face.

A chain of murders began in America. First Annabeth's family, then Percy's family, then this man, then a group of children followed. They were killed in the mall at plain view. However, all the witnesses forgot the murderer, so the world named him: _Phantom_.

Next came a destroyed bank and a destroyed Burger King. The Phantom was ruthless. He was marked as a national terrorist. Nobody could stop him. But finally, the police got an image of the terrorist. What they saw shocked them.

It was Percy. This image was immediately released to the public, warning the people to be cautious.

* * *

_**Back home in the suburbs…**_

"Hey, I'm back!" Percy shouted excitedly. "Just got back from a successful—OW!" He was slugged in the jaw and went flying onto the wall. "Okay…thanks for the welcome present?" Percy rubbed his jaw. "So what's going on now?"

"You—" Andrew was cut off by Megan, who looked absolutely furious. Percy gulped. What had he done wrong? What was going on?

"Stop. I'm speaking to him alone." Megan grabbed Percy by the ear and teleported the both of them to a cliff at the Grand Canyon.

"What were you thinking?!" Megan demanded.

"I know, right?" Percy said, confused. "Leaving for a week was a bit long, but, still, I managed to—"

_"You killed more than a hundred innocent people! You've been marked as an international terrorist!"_

"Hey, all I did was—wait, _what_?!" Percy seemed so confused that it was almost funny. "I'm a terrorist? The people don't even know me!"

"Your mortal parents were found dead, Percy." Percy's eyes widened at that. "Decapitated and burnt to a crisp. Same with your ex-girlfriend's mortal family. I don't know what you're trying to achieve, but murder isn't the answer!"

Percy didn't speak. "M-murder? Someone…my parents…" Percy collapsed to his knees. Megan frowned, confused. Percy seemed shocked. Then…why would he kill..? Unless…

"No…no…please, no…" Percy seemed lost again. He often had very bad nightmares now, and acted like this for a bit after waking up. "No…it can't be…"

Megan knelt next to Percy. "I don't think you're the killer. You're not acting like one." Percy didn't seem to hear her and closed his eyes.

"My parents…Mom…Paul…no..." The ground rumbled and Percy started shaking. Megan's eyes widened at what was happening. She had never seen this happen before, but was warned by Xodius of it when she and Percy became best friends years ago.

Percy was losing control over his powers.

Now, the more control one has over their powers, the harder it is for them to lose that control. However, once they do, the result can be devastating.

And now, Megan had a front row seat to witness it.

She watched in horror and awe as the Grand Canyon reshaped itself in a matter of seconds. And then she saw the tourists. That was enough to snap her out of her shock. She wrapped her arms around her boyfriend.

"Don't lose control," she begged Percy. "You'll only cause pain. Let go. They'll go to Elysium. They're at rest now, Percy. Do the same. Let go for them."

Percy stopped shaking. The ground stopped rumbling. Megan sighed and patted Percy's back. "It's over, Percy. I'm here. It's alright."

Percy started to shake again. "No…" Megan's eyes widened. "No…it's not…they're gone…they're never coming back…you're lying to me..._IT'S NOT OVER_!" There was a huge flash of light. Temporarily blinded, Megan closed her eyes. When she opened them, in front of her stood a strange being. It looked like a cross between a human and a wolf. To make matters stranger, two black feathery wings expanded from the creature's back. Megan realized with horror, that it was Percy. What had happened to her boyfriend?

Percy opened his mouth, revealing two large canines. He roared, but it was like a monster's roar. The roar shook the glass of the sky deck, cracking it until it shattered, sending screaming tourists to their deaths. Percy then flew into the air and disappeared into the clouds.

There was a flash. Andrew and Simon appeared and knelt next to Megan. "You alright? Megan?" They said in unison, waving their hands in front of Megan's face. She sat there, frozen.

How could she hope to stop Percy now?

* * *

_**Somewhere in the Void…**_ **  
**

In the depths of a valley, on the planet Vladr, a giant monster opened his eyes for the first time in fourteen billion years. He was sensing a new power. A weak power combined with the power of one of his sons. The monster roared at the sky in an effort to break his seal. Nothing happened.

But still, it was clear. The monster had a new target now. Although he did not know it yet, the target would be known as…

Percy Jackson.


	3. Death of Light

_**Several hours later…**_

Percy tore through the air at hypersonic speeds, unable to control himself. Right now, it was as if he was being controlled by another being. A much more powerful being than himself. And of course, Percy was unconscious, but his body was still very much awake, flying and even ripping right through a Boeing 737 once.

As he neared Indianapolis, Percy let out a tremendous roar that shattered the windows of the buildings of Indianapolis. Then Percy headed towards the eastern region of the United States.

* * *

_** Meanwhile at Camp Half-Blood…**_

Annabeth was beyond depressed. Now, she was angry. Sure, she had betrayed Percy a decade ago, but that gave him absolutely no right to attack and kill her mortal family! Annabeth vowed that the next time she saw Perseus Jackson, he would suffer for what he did to her. But still, she missed her family and was traumatized because of the way Percy murdered them. She could still see Bobby's head exploding and pieces flying everywhere…

Annabeth shook off the feeling. She had to concentrate at the problem at hand. Currently, somehow, the Titans were beginning to rise once more. To make things worse, the other sons of Gaea, the Giants born to oppose the gods themselves, were reawakening. The Titans and Giants were hidden somewhere, blocked from all the Olympians. Although Annabeth and several other demigods had gone investigating, no evidence of a camp or base was found.

"Annabeth!" Thalia waved her hand in front of Annabeth's face. "Did you hear me? Chiron wants us to meet in the Big House now!" Thalia had quit the Hunters after Percy's banishment to ensure that the legacy of Percy Jackson lived on. Although at first she hated Annabeth, she eventually became friends with the daughter of Athena again. Nico, on the other hand, always sent Annabeth a death glare and left whenever she was in the area. Also, Thalia was immortal like Annabeth. Zeus made her, Nico, and the counselors of the cabins during the Titan War immortal after Percy's banishment so that they could help the gods and demigods for all eternity.

Oh, and have I mentioned that Thalia and Nico are a couple? No? Well, Thalia and Nico both were quite close to fading a few months after Percy's banishment because they gave up on life, but they helped each other out and eventually declared to everyone else that they were a couple. Of course, Zeus ran after Nico with his master bolt for several minutes and Thalia ended up playing "Toro Toro" with Cerberus. After a few weeks, the gods eventually accepted the relationship and felt happy for their children.

"Why?" Annabeth asked. Thalia shrugged.

"Dunno. Maybe it has something to do with the Titans and Giants." Thalia and Annabeth teleported to the Big House, where all the other counselors and Nico were waiting.

"About time, Chase," Nico growled. Annabeth ignored it and sat down. Thalia sat down next to Nico.

"Ah, Annabeth, dear," Chiron said, relieved. "I was beginning to wonder."

"What's this all about, Chiron?" Clarisse demanded. "What's going on?"

"As some of you may know, Percy was spotted committing acts of terrorism in public," Chiron said sadly. Several immortal counselors gasped. "It may be that he is planning to take revenge on the gods and demigods for having him thrown into Tartarus. But how he escaped, I do not know."

"It doesn't matter how he escaped," Annabeth said fiercely. "He needs to be stopped and punished for what he's done!"

"Why? We deserve our destruction," Nico argued, scowling at Annabeth. "Some of you turned on Percy when he needed your support the most! And why are you so pissed off, Annabeth? Because he killed your mortal family? They deserved what they got, raising a selfish, power-hungry traitor like you!"

Annabeth took a step back, shocked at what Nico just said to her. "You ungrateful little—!"

"Enough!" Chiron stomped his hoof on the floor, silencing Annabeth. "We must not become divided once more! What we need to do is find Percy and help him. We must earn his forgiveness and bring him back to us. Even if…" Chiron glanced at Annabeth who was having a glaring contest with Nico. "Even if he hates a few demigods. Now then—" The sound of the conch horn interrupted Chiron's speech. Chiron paled.

"We are under attack." Chiron rushed out of the Big House as the immortal counselors teleported to find out where the attack was taking place.

Annabeth was the one to find the army.

She teleported to Thalia's Pine Tree and saw a massive army smashing their weapons and fists and bodies against the magical barrier of the camp. The other immortal counselors teleported to Annabeth's location and Chiron rushed to them. The demigods of the camp were almost done preparing for battle and some already came out of their cabins and were grouping with the immortal counselors.

The monster army let out a huge battle cry and charged once more. The barrier still held. The demigods' breaths hitched. They stood in a disciplined phalanx, ready to fight. As they watched the monsters pound themselves on the barrier, several monsters disintegrated from smashing onto the magical barrier too many times.

"_STOP!_" The monsters immediately backed away from the barrier as a figure dressed in red-orange armor strode out from the army. The stranger also wore a red-orange helm with a magical horsehair plume that was on fire. The stranger was wielding a double-bladed sword that was on fire. The stranger took his helmet off and revealed a scarred face with a sadistic smile and glowing yellow eyes. It was Bane, the son of Hyperion, and the man who amputated Percy's limbs.

"I am Bane!" Bane shouted. Several immortal counselors paled at the son of Hyperion. "And this camp is mine now! Now surrender to me, and I will spare your miserable lives!" Bane stepped into the camp.

"Fat chance, Sunshine!" Thalia yelled. Her eyes sparked with electricity as she called down a tremendous lightning bolt on Bane. He grinned as the bolt struck him, creating a blinding flash of light. When the light cleared, Bane was standing right where he was before, grinning maniacally.

"Heh heh. That tickled." Bane raised his sword and then chopped Thalia's Pine Tree.

"No!" Annabeth screamed. The barrier was the last magical defense available to the demigods.

"CHARGE!" Bane's scream was outmatched by the battle cry of the monster army as it barreled towards the demigods. The demigods braced themselves for battle.

"LOCK SHIELDS!" Clarisse barked.

"HOLD!" Thalia yelled.

"DESTROY THEM!" Bane screamed with glee.

_**"RRRROOOOAAAARRR!"**_

The sound made the demigods freeze, fear striking their hearts. What monster could have possibly made that sound? However, the monster army seemed confused and stopped running and looked around, utterly confused.

"What that?" A telekhine asked to no one. Then it came again.

_**"RRRROOOOAAAARRR!"**_

A blur passed the telekhine. The monster's eyes widened before it suddenly crumbled into dust and flew into the sky. The monster had faded.

"WHAT WAS THAT?!" Bane screamed. "WHO WAS THAT?! IDENTIFY YOURSELF!"

_**"RRRROOOOAAAARRR!"**_

A blur passed through the monster army. A few seconds later, every monster suddenly crumbled into dust and faded. The blur appeared in front of the demigod army and stopped moving. It landed on the ground and roared at Bane. The demigods gasped at what they saw. It was like a man fused with a wolf and crow. Black feathered wings contracted into the beast's back and the beast roared again before charging at Bane, who screamed like a little girl as he was tossed around by the beast. Bane managed to dissolve into flames and disappear, but the beast's rage was still unquenched.

_**"RRRROOOOAAAARRR!"**_

The beast turned around and rushed towards the demigods, who all screamed and dove out of the way. Still, the beast managed to grab two demigods and smashed them together before throwing them at the others. Then the beast charged again. The mortal demigods screamed and fled. The beast ignored them and turned to the immortal counselors. The beast then charged.

It took all of the skill the counselors had to dodge the beast's attacks. However, it seemed like the beast was holding back or something, like it was weak.

"What is this thing?!" Nico yelled as he blocked a claw and dodged another attack. "Was it sent by the Titans or Giants?!"

"If it was, then why would it kill several hundred of monsters and almost the army's commander if it is on the enemy's side?!" Thalia screamed as she dodged several devastating attacks from the beast. But soon, the beast managed to get a lucky blow. Thalia screamed in pain as she was sent flying into the stump of her tree. Ichor flow from the back of her head and her stomach as she winced, trying to get up. The beast moved like a blur again and appeared in front of Thalia, who stared at the beast with fear. However, the beast didn't attack, as if hesitating.

"W-What are y-you?" Thalia groaned. "Why are you doing this?"

"RRRROOOOAAAARRR!" The beast seemed a bit calmer than before.

"Get away from her!" Nico sliced at the beast, which dodged and leapt backwards, growling at Nico, but did not attack.

"Hah!" Annabeth suddenly appeared and drove her knife into the back of the beast which roared in pain and grabbed Annabeth. Then the beast jumped into the air and threw Annabeth into the ground. The beast ripped the knife out of its back, roaring in pain as it did so. The beast then threw the knife with extreme accuracy and force at Annabeth's right arm, cutting right through the bone and tissue and pinning her to the ground. Annabeth screamed in pain and the beast roared. It used its wings and flew at Annabeth with the intent of ripping her apart.

"NO!" A shield smashed into the beast and sent it crashing into the roof of the Big House—which was hundreds of feet away. The immortal demigods turned to the origin of the shield. Athena was standing next to her daughter protectively. The other major gods appeared save Hestia and got into their respective battle stances.

"This beast will be destroyed!" Artemis yelled.

"It will suffer in Tartarus for touching my daughter!" Athena vowed.

"It will not hurt my daughter again!" Zeus shouted.

The demigods stared in awe as the Olympians stood, ready to fight.

Travis and Connor Stoll went to see what happened to the beast. Turns out that that wasn't such a good idea.

_**"RRRROOOOAAAARRR!"**_The Big House exploded and the beast ran out of the building, growling and roaring. It charged.

_"WHY UUUUUUUSSSSS?!"_ The Stoll Brothers screamed as the beast chased them all the way to the Olympians. However, the beast strangely seemed to be running at the same speed as the Stolls as if it was playing a game of tag with the Stolls. _Strange…_ Nico thought as he checked Thalia, who leaned on his chest, weakened by her injury.

"Now, everyone!" Zeus held out his master bolt and a beam of energy struck the beast, slowing it down. The other Olympians made a circle around the beast and pointed their weapons at the beast, slowing it down even more. The beast roared in anger and frustration but kept on advancing. Artemis and Apollo shot several arrows which made lassoes and bound the beast.

_**"RRRROOOOAAAARRR!"**_ The beast struggled to get free, but couldn't. Zeus and the others all struck at the same time and a huge explosion was created. When the light and dust cleared, everyone could see the unconscious beast, bound and immobilized.

* * *

"What are you guys doing?" Thalia asked Apollo and Artemis. She was now fully healed along with Annabeth. Nico stood in the shadows, listening to the conversation.

"We are trying to figure out where this monster had come from. Although conscious, the beast remains unresponsive to our questions," Artemis explained. "It will not tell us whether it works for the Titans and Giants or not."

"Can we see?" Annabeth asked. Artemis nodded. The immortal counselors teleported to the throne room of Olympus and saw that the beast was trapped in a sphere that was suspended in the air. The beast was conscious, but it just stood there, breathing and was not trying to break out of the cage.

"Beast!" Zeus bellowed. "Why have you attacked the monster army and its commander and then turned on Camp Half-Blood? Answer me!" Zeus struck the sphere with lightning and the beast flinched in pain, but did not make a sound.

Thalia suddenly felt an energy surge. "EVERYBODY GET DOWN!" she yelled. The sphere cage exploded and the beast roared in triumph. It had been concentrating its energy to break free of its bonds!

Thalia and Nico rushed at the beast, which turned to them and hesitated. It snarled and backed away, ready to attack, but it still did not lunge. Thalia and Nico glanced at each other, wondering what was going on. Why was the beast hesitating with them again, but when Annabeth attacked it, it had not hesitated to try and kill her? Unless…Thalia just had a terrible thought. She glanced at her boyfriend again and saw that he had the same thought.

Artemis rushed at the beast with her hunting knives, but Thalia and Nico yelled, "STOP!" The goddess of the moon stopped immediately, staring at the two, confused.

"Why?"

"Because—" Thalia was cut off by a voice that sent chills down her spine.

"Because they're feeling too merciful for the monster!" A cheerful voice said. Everyone turned to the direction of the voice. On top of a column, grinning sadistically sat Percy. Everyone gasped. "Sup ya'll. I just thought that I'd pay my _favorite_ _place_ in the _whole wide world_ a little visit!" Percy's eyes gleamed with evil. "If ya know what I mean, heh heh."

"You!" Athena leapt at Percy, but he simply grinned and flicked his hand. The shadows stirred and several shadow tendrils lashed out at Athena, who was caught off-guard and cried out in pain as the tendrils tightened around her.

"Mom!" Annabeth screamed. She glared at Percy. "LET HER GO!"

Percy cocked his head, appearing to think. An image of Bobby's death flashed in Annabeth's mind and she paled, realizing what was coming. Percy smiled. "Nah." He held his hand out and balled it into a fist. "Time for Athena to die."

_**"RRRROOOOAAAARRR!"**_ The beast slammed into Percy and sent him flying into the wall. Then the beast did the strangest thing ever. It spoke.

_**"YOU!"**_Everyone stared at the beast, confused as it roared at Percy. _**"YOU KILLED THEM! YOU'RE THE ONE WHO KILLED MY PARENTS! YOU **_**FRAMED **_**ME!" **_Percy got up and smirked.

"So…I've been caught," Percy said. "But that doesn't mean that I still can't kill you, _Jackson_."

The room was silent. Thalia finally had the courage to speak to the beast. "P-P-Per…cy..?"

The beast turned to Thalia so quickly she involuntarily took a step back. **"Hello, Thalia."**

"H-How?"

**"I don't know how I became like this. I just remember pain…then nothing until now." **The beast—Percy turned back to the other Percy. **"And now I'll rip you apart!"**

The other Percy smirked. "Exon's powers are nothing compared to mine!" The other Percy held his hands out and a ball of black energy formed in his hands. "Behold my true power! Cower in the shadow of Xistrius!"

**"DIE!" **Fueled with unimaginable rage and lust for revenge, Percy rushed at the other Percy at incredible speed. The other Percy smirked and opened fire, sending a huge beam of energy at Percy. The gods and demigods froze when they heard Percy scream in pain. When the beam dissipated, the gods and demigods could see Percy's unconscious form on the floor.

"When you're in control, you're weak!" The other Percy sneered. "You can't control Exon's power!" He grinned and a ball of black energy formed in his hands once more. "And now to finish you off."

"No!" A beam of white light struck the other Percy and sent him flying. He growled and looked at the throne room gates. They were open and a girl was standing with her hands out. It was Megan, Percy's girlfriend. Her eyes were glowing white. "You will _not_ touch him!"

The evil Percy stood up unsteadily. "A child of Aether," he growled. He then smirked. "This just got a whole lot more interesting. Until next time, M&M." He winked at Megan and vanished. She teleported to Percy and placed his head on her lap.

"You idiot…" she muttered angrily, tears forming in her eyes.

"What's done is done." A voice said. The gods spun around trying to see who it was. There was a bright flash of light. Two men and two young teens appeared. It was Xodius, Andrew, Simon, and Aether.

"Lord Aether!" The Olympians bowed. Aether ignored them and followed the other three to Percy.

"How is he, Megan?" Aether asked. Megan looked at her father with tears in her eyes.

"I…I don't know," she replied miserably.

"Simon, Andrew, make him relax," Xodius ordered. The twins nodded and held their hands out. Percy sighed and visibly relaxed. Megan stroked Percy's hair.

Xodius held out his hand and it glowed with an ethereal blue light. Percy seemed to glow the same color. The light faded.

"What did you do to my son?" Poseidon demanded, approaching. Xodius held up his hand.

"I simply gave my champion my full blessing. It will help him gain control over this newfound power of his," Xodius replied.

"C-Champion?" Athena stuttered. Xodius looked at her and frowned.

"Ah, yes. The pitiful excuse of a goddess who destroyed my champion's life. To answer one of your ten year old questions, I was the one who spoke through Poseidon to you, Athena." Athena paled.

"Who are you?!" Zeus demanded.

Xodius raised an eyebrow. "I am Xodius. Utherian God of destruction, light, darkness, power, and death. I am also brothers with the Utherian God who created your Lord Chaos, the Christian God, the Egyptian god Ra, and several other ultimate gods. I swear this on my nephew Chaos's name." The Olympians paled.

"Why are you here?" Athena demanded.

"I'm here to kill you," Percy's voice said. Everyone looked at Percy, who opened his eyes and sat up. He glared at Athena. "You're the one who started it all, aren't you. You tricked everyone and got me banished to Tartarus for a crime that I never committed just because you hated me. You and your stupid daughter Annabeth," Percy snarled as he stood up. His right arm turned into a blade and he pointed it at Athena. "I won't let anyone else have the satisfaction of killing you."

Athena's eyes narrowed. "You don't frighten me, boy. You are still a mere demigod. I am a goddess. I know your moves and skill over water. You cannot win against me, Jackson." She stood up and her spear and shield materialized in her hands.

Percy growled. "We'll see, you useless bitch goddess. And after this, I'll take revenge on the one who betrayed me for selfish desires and even turned against me just because it seemed right." Percy turned to Annabeth who seemed to not be trying to look at him.

Athena lunged at Percy at inhuman speed. Percy's eyes flashed. He dodged and slashed with incredible speed. Nobody save Xodius, Megan, and Aether could follow his moves. In mere seconds, Athena's spear was completely destroyed. Percy was about to strike, but then lightning flashed in the room and something bounced off Percy's head and landed on the ground. Percy rolled away and glanced down. It was a pen. Realization struck Percy like a lightning bolt. It was Anaklusmos. _Riptide._

Percy picked it up and uncapped it. The three foot long blade sprung into view and Percy suddenly felt a huge amount of energy emitting from the sword. _What's with the sword?_ Percy thought. _It's like I'm standing right next to Dad when he's in all full battle mode or something…_ Percy's thoughts were interrupted by Athena lunging at him with a new spear as she took the distraction as an opportunity to strike. Percy dodged and the adrenaline pumped in his body again. He sneered at how Athena couldn't just attack directly. Instead, she had to use everything she had to fight him, including relying on distractions to defeat him. Athena began a ruthless attack and Percy was finally forced to a defensive position. His sword couldn't hit Athena but instead struck her shield every time.

Percy then rolled backwards into Ares. Ares smacked him and Percy's eyes flashed. He slashed at the war god and sliced a deep gash in the god's torso, making him bellow in pain. Percy punched the god and sent him flying into his throne, unconscious.

"Hah!" Athena took the distraction as an opportunity again and smashed her shield against Percy and sent him stumbling backwards. Percy glanced at the Medusa head on Aegis and winced. Gods damn, that women is ugly.

Percy finally decided to end the battle. He wanted revenge so badly now. His instincts won. When Athena attacked again, Percy dodged and started a barrage of attacks that nobody could keep up with. Athena soon collapsed with lots of cuts on her body and a deep gash on her face. Her shield and spear were on the floor. Athena regarded Percy with prideful and hateful eyes.

"Get over it then," she growled.

Percy narrowed his eyes. "No," he finally said. "You're not worth my time." He started to walk away, but Athena narrowed her eyes and kicked her spear hard. It flew at Percy's back.

"NO!" Megan appeared in a flash of light and pushed Percy out of the way. The spear suddenly seemed to change direction slightly and flew straight through Megan's heart. Her eyes widened. Only she had noticed the sudden shift in direction. Nobody should have gotten hit…but…now…Megan could already feel the life draining from her.

Percy got up instantly and rushed to Megan's aid as she collapsed to the ground. "Megan!" Percy placed her head on his lap. Thalia, Nico, Aether, Simon, and Andrew all rushed to her side. "No…come on…" He held her hand tightly. "Don't die…Why'd you take that for me, you dumb little…"

Megan stared at Percy. "P-Percy…Percy…" She smiled slightly. "You'd do the same…for me..." She stared at Percy blankly as two tears streaked down her cheeks.

Xodius looked at the two with sad eyes and waved his hand silently, destroyed the vow Percy had made to Aether. The oath would have killed Percy, but now, Percy would live, while Megan...wouldn't...

"No…no…Megan…MEGAN! Don't…" Percy couldn't speak anymore. His heart was torn apart. Megan was…gone. And he couldn't do anything about it…anything…

Just like when he was banished…

Just like when his parents died…

Just like…just like…

* * *

_FLASHBACK…_

_ Megan couldn't sleep. She just felt so awkward living in this palace. She didn't deserve something like this. But at least…her room was next to Percy's…_

_ Megan blushed. She always had a crush on him, and now they were the best of friends. After five years from meeting each other, the two did almost everything together. Megan smiled, thinking of the amount of fun she had with Percy. And with Andrew and Simon, the comedic life just got better. _

_ Unable to sleep, she headed out of her room. Then she heard it. _

_ A yell. A cry for help from Percy's room. _

_ Megan's blood went cold. She burst into Percy's room and saw him thrashing about, screaming in pain. Screaming for someone to stop. Screaming for his friends, his family, and…Megan. _

_ Megan immediately rushed over to Percy's side and shook him. He kept thrashing about. "Percy, wake up!" Megan pleaded. "Wake up!" _

_ "NO! STOP! PLEASE, STOP IT!" Percy screamed. _

_ "Percy, wake up! Wake UP!" _

_ Percy gasped and sat up instantly. Megan sighed in relief as Percy panted. "Percy…what happened?" Megan asked her best friend. Percy turned to Megan. _

_ "I saw…I…" Percy shook his head. "It-It was nothing." _

_ Megan sat down next to Percy. "You can tell me anything, Percy. Trust me." Megan smiled and hugged Percy with one arm. She rested her head on Percy's shoulder. "Whatever's hurting you in your dreams isn't real. It's your mind, fooling you. You just have to believe that dreams aren't real to not be affected by them."_

_ Percy didn't respond. _

_ "Percy?" Megan looked at Percy's face. He was asleep again. Megan rolled her eyes in amusement. Typical Percy. She gently laid him down on his bed and laid down next to him, using his chest as a pillow. Percy had always protected her. It was time for her to protect him._

* * *

_FLASHBACK…_

_ Percy woke up, panting. He glanced at his right arm. It was detached again._ _Percy sighed. He picked up his robotic arm and walked out of his room, unable to sleep anymore. The dreams of Tartarus, death, and betrayal were getting worse. In Percy's opinion, it was only the time spent with Megan that was keeping him sane. Percy went to the roof and saw that Megan was already there, lying down and staring at the beautiful night sky. _

_ "Beautiful night, huh?" Megan said. She looked at Percy and Percy couldn't help but think that she looked beautiful in the starlight. Megan smiled sadly. "Bad dreams?"_

_ "Yup." Percy sat down next to Megan. She reached out and gently touched the stump that used to be Percy's right arm. _

_ "Sometimes I wonder what it would've been like if you still had your original limbs," Megan said quietly. Percy smiled and reattached his right arm. _

_ "I wonder that too," Percy agreed. "But I gotta say, having your arm turn into a sword is pretty cool too."  
Megan laughed. "I suppose." She turned to Percy again. "So what's wrong?"_

_ "Nothing."_

_ "What was the dream about again?" Megan asked. After years of being friends, Megan had learned to interpret Percy's I-don't-want-to-talk-about-it language. _

_ "Same old. Tartarus, death, Earth."_

_ Megan stared at Percy with sad eyes. "I can't tell you how much it hurts me to see you in pain." Percy didn't speak for a while. He grabbed Megan's hand and squeezed gently._

_ "Thanks for being there for me when I needed someone to talk to," he whispered. "I don't think I would still be sane if it wasn't for you."_

_ Megan smiled. "I can't lose you. If I did…I…don't think that I…" Megan blushed. _

_ Percy noticed it and frowned, confused. "What? Do I something on my face?"_

_ Megan face-palmed mentally._ _"Percy…I…I kinda like you…" Megan blushed again. _

_ Percy opened his mouth in an "Oh." gesture. He didn't speak for a while. "I never realized that you had feelings for me."_

_ "Well, in the movies, I suppose that the guy tells the girl now?" Megan said sadly, smiling though, thinking that she was rejected._

_ "Well…" Before he could stop himself, Percy leaned forward and gently kissed Megan. Her eyes widened before she closed them. The two were in perfect bliss. It was only the lack of oxygen that split them apart. "I guess that means this is like a movie, huh?" Percy smiled. Megan smiled and snuggled close to him. They both fell asleep on the roof._

* * *

_FLASHBACK…_

_ "Come on, Percy! Do it! Just put it there!" Megan was growing tired of waiting for Percy to start making his move. _

_ "I can't do it, Megan. It's too difficult," Percy complained. "This is the hardest thing I've ever done. It's the scariest thing ever!"_

_ "Come on, Percy, just put it there! You can't keep a girl waiting, you know!" _

_ "I know, but…"_

_ "But..?"_

_ "Where do I put it..?" Megan rolled her eyes at Percy's hesitation. _

_ "Just put it there!" _

_ "Uh…I forgot how this works…"_

_ "Augh, come on!" Megan said in frustration. Simon and Andrew watched while trying not to laugh. _

_ "I told you teaching Percy chess was the hardest thing in the world," Andrew said, laughing now. Percy blushed and rubbed the back of his neck. _

_ "Of all the places to be robotic, it couldn't be his brain…" Megan muttered angrily. _

_ "Unfortunately," Simon chimed in. Megan, Andrew, and Simon all laughed as Percy's trademark fiery tornado of annoyance formed over his head as he frowned and crossed his arms. But Percy had to admit, it was kind of fun being with all his friends—even if he was the one being bullied._

_ "Aren't you supposed to stand up for me?" Percy whined. Megan cocked her head._

_ "Nah," she said, smiling brightly. _

_ "Why do I still love you…?" Percy grumbled. Megan raised an eyebrow, used to Percy's "fits." She pulled her boyfriend in for a kiss. _

_ When they parted, Megan said, "Cause I do this." _

_ "EEEEWWW!" Simon and Andrew ran out of the living room. Megan and Percy laughed and they leaned in for another kiss…_

_END OF FLASHBACK…_

* * *

Percy's thoughts were so messed up that he couldn't think straight anymore. He felt like crap. He had watched his girlfriend die…and he did nothing about it. Absolutely nothing…Percy hugged Megan's limp body close to him as tears spilled out from his eyes. The others watched in sadness.

Percy let out a yell of pain, anger, misery, rage, and sadness. He started to glow and his yell started to become like a roar. The light then cleared, revealing the beast once more. Its eyes used to be black when Percy wasn't in control, but now, his rage had won. His eyes were dark green—almost black with anger. How dare Athena betray him?! How dare she touch Megan?! HOW DARE SHE KILL HER?!

Percy finally snapped. He lunged at Athena who had enough energy to stand up. Weakened, she did not see this blow coming.

Percy punched right into Athena's chest, grabbed something, and pulled out violently. Ichor flew everywhere as Percy ripped out Athena's heart and squeezed it, making it look like a deflated whoopee cushion. Percy then roared in anger and sliced upwards. Athena's expression was the same for several seconds. Then everyone gasped as the goddess suddenly fell to the ground, cut in half.

Percy roared and held up his hand, going with his instincts. _**"HEAVEN'S LIGHTNING!" **_He smashed downwards and a huge red lightning bolt tore through the roof of the palace and struck Athena, completely erasing her from existence.


	4. Legend of the Paladin Sword

_Percy let out a yell of pain, anger, misery, rage, and sadness. He started to glow and his yell started to become like a roar. The light then cleared, revealing the beast once more. Its eyes used to be black when Percy wasn't in control, but now, his rage had won. His eyes were dark green—almost black with anger. How dare Athena betray him?! How dare she touch Megan?! HOW DARE SHE KILL HER?!_

_Percy finally snapped. He lunged at Athena who had enough energy to stand up. Weakened, she did not see this blow coming._

_Percy punched right into Athena's chest, grabbed something, and pulled out violently. Ichor flew everywhere as Percy ripped out Athena's heart and squeezed it, making it look like a deflated whoopee cushion. Percy then roared in anger and sliced upwards. Athena's expression was the same for several seconds. Then everyone gasped as the goddess suddenly fell to the ground, cut in half._

_Percy roared and held up his hand, going with his instincts._**"HEAVEN'S LIGHTNING!"**_He smashed downwards and a huge red lightning bolt tore through the roof of the palace and struck Athena, completely erasing her from existence._

* * *

Everyone in the throne room stared at Percy in shock, who was breathing heavily. There was a flash of light. When it cleared, Percy was no longer a beast. And then several things happened.

Zeus threw his master bolt at Percy while Artemis fired dozens of arrows at Percy. Everyone else cried out in shock while Xodius raised an eyebrow and glanced upwards. Right before the arrows and the bolt struck Percy, there was a huge flash of light and a loud BANG! Zeus stared at the spot where Percy had been standing in triumph—only to open his mouth in shock. Artemis did the same. Standing in front of Percy with a golden shield protectively was…was…

Zoë.

The gods and demigods alike gasped at the sight. Artemis looked stunned while Xodius simply looked amused. Percy on the other hand didn't care. He ran over to Megan and placed his hand on her forehead. They both disappeared, but Percy left Riptide behind and Zoë picked it up. Andrew and Simon followed Percy after flipping Zeus off who went red with rage. Aether had also teleported away. The other Olympians didn't notice. They were too shocked by Zoë's appearance.

"Z-Zoë?" Artemis whispered. Zoë glanced back at her and smiled.

"It is good to see you, Artemis," she said. She turned to Xodius. "How did you find out that I sent the Utherian Blade to Percy?"

Xodius smirked. "Number one. You're the guardian of it. Number two. I'm pretty sure you know that I wouldn't forget you, _Guardian_." Zoë grinned at this.

The gods and demigods glanced at each other, confused. "What are you talking about?" Zeus demanded. "Zoë Nightshade is no guardian!"

"Ah, but my young Zeus, that is where you are incorrect," a deep voice said. Red lightning flashed in the throne room. A figure appeared next to Xodius. It was a man dressed in golden armor with a sapphire-colored sword hanging from his belt. A red cape with a picture of a sword hung to the man's knees. There was something about this man that seemed to simply radiate power. The man seemed to have more power then Xodius, who had a lot.

"Who are you?" Zeus demanded rudely.

The man raised an eyebrow. "I am Sirenius. Brother of Xodius, King of the Utherians, God of Battle, Defense, Justice, Wisdom, Knowledge, and the Void. I am the father of Chaos, the Christian God, Ra, and other ultimate gods." The demigods instantly bowed. The gods followed suit—even Zeus.

"Show off," Zoë scoffed. The gods and demigods—gasped at her comment.

Sirenius rolled his eyes. "Well, you surely haven't changed over fourteen billion years," he groaned. The gods looked like they were on the verge of a mental breakdown.

"Problem?" Screw it, never mind. The gods were having a mental meltdown.

"Enough," Xodius interrupted. He turned to Sirenius. "Why are you here? I thought you were dealing with the new threat."

Sirenius glanced at Xodius and then turned his attention back to Zoë. "Zoë knows."

"Sirenius?" Artemis spoke. Sirenius turned around and raised an eyebrow, gesturing for her to continue. "What exactly is it that Zoë knows?"

Sirenius was silent for a while. Then he flicked his hand and the Olympians flew onto their thrones. Chairs appeared and the demigods flew onto them. Zoë, Xodius, and Sirenius sat on the chairs that Sirenius had just conjured.

"I believe that it is time for you all to know now," Sirenius said gravely. "Long ago, before Gaea or even Chaos, existed another universe. A universe not unlike this one. However, there was a race of immortals called…the Encryptians." The gods seemed confused by this. "The reason you don't know of this is because you didn't exist then. Neither did the Primordial Gods."

"The Encryptians were the first beings to come into existence. Where they came from, nobody knows," Xodius said. "However, the Encryptians were very powerful. Much more powerful than even Chaos, Ra, or God. There were three Encryptians: Exon, Xistrius, and Hylia. They ruled the universe with an iron fist, for they were capable of destroying entire planets as easily as one would blow out a candle. Exon and Xistrius were the warlike brothers, while Hylia was the one who decided who would be born, who would be killed, and who would live. She wrote down the life of every being that would come in time, even you gods." The gods paled at that. "Hylia eventually went against the rule of her brothers, for she was not one who enjoyed violence. She created three powerful gods. Their mission? To overthrow the two brothers. The three gods went by the names of Solaris, Sirenius, and myself, Xodius." The gods started talking, but Xodius held up his hand to silence them.

"While Hylia stood for light and peace, Exon stood for destruction and battle, while Xistrius stood for darkness and evil," Xodius continued. "Hylia sent us three to fight the two brothers, but they proved to be much too powerful for us. Hylia, for some reason, could not control our destinies because of the other Encryptians. Encryptians are not bound by fate—nor can they ever be killed. Only sealed. Anyone fighting the Encryptians longer has his or her fate controlled by another being. The minute you strike an Encryptian, your fate becomes unknown. The Encryptians are simply too powerful. They can destroy all meaning of time, space, and fate. They even managed to kill one of my brothers, Solaris. However, his death was not in vain. Hylia spread his spirit throughout the universe, creating seven beings. The Seven Guardians. One of them was Zoë Nightshade."

"Impossible!" Artemis argued. "Zoë was alive for only several thousand years!"

"That was all an illusion. I will explain it later. Anyways…" Xodius motioned for Sirenius to continue the story.

"Each Guardian wielded a sword that could transform into any weapon or item. Each sword had a domain of power. The sword that Zoë wielded still exists today. The Utherian Blade of the Sea. The Greek world knows it as Anaklusmos." Sirenius gestured to Zoë. She uncapped Riptide, which sprung into the three foot long blade, but this time it glowed with power. Ares stared Riptide greedily. "The other swords took on the domains of the sky, the earth, fire, light, darkness, and the void. Combined, they form the Paladin Blade. It is rumored that the Paladin Blade has a conscience of its own. The sword also has the capability of fading any immortal lesser than an Encryptian." The gods gasped. "What we know about the Paladin Blade is that a simple mortal cannot wield it. While anyone can wield a piece of it, like Anaklusmos, no one can wield the Paladin Blade. It is rumored that the Paladin Blade's conscience has chosen who can wield it. We will call this chosen person the 'Chosen One.'"

"Lord Xodius?" Annabeth asked. Xodius turned to the daughter of the now-dead wisdom goddess.

"Yes?"

"What was that lightning that Percy summoned? I've never seen anything like it."

"That is Heaven's Lightning," Sirenius explained. "Heaven's Lightning is a remnant of Hylia's power. Hylia was the eldest of the Encryptians and the most powerful. However, she could not bear to fight against her own brothers, no matter how evil they were. After Xistrius found out that we Utherians were the creations of Hylia, Xistrius and Exon sealed her away into an endless sleep. However, some of her power remained. It manifested and became Heaven's Lightning. It exists to this day. Even mortals know of its existence. They call it 'Space Lightning.'

"Now, only Solaris had the power to summon Heaven's Lightning. After his spirit formed the seven Utherian Blades and their respective Guardians, he passed on the ability into his swords, but not the Guardians. They simply could not contain such power. Therefore, anyone with an Utherian Blade can summon Heaven's Lightning. Percy was wielding Anaklusmos when he killed Athena and summoned Heaven's Lightning."

"By the way, where is Percy?" Annabeth growled. "He killed my mother and he needs to pay for it!"

"She killed his beloved," Xodius countered. "Athena had it coming. If any of you try to punish my son, I will not hesitate to rip you apart personally."

"Son?" Poseidon asked. "Percy is _my_ son!"

"I apologize, Poseidon. Percy is my adopted son." Poseidon looked ready to argue, but then Sirenius spoke up.

"The boy is greatly wounded. His soul mate is now dead. Where he has gone, I do not know. However…I must still finish the story." The gods turned their attentions back to Sirenius. "Using the same tactic as my mother, I created a group of primordial gods who I called the Ultimates. They were originally the gods Chaos and God. With their help, Exon was sealed away. Xistrius however, fled. We have not heard from him since.

"After the war, I created Ra. The three Ultimates set about creating a new universe, for the original was badly damaged. However, we could not get rid of Exon or Hylia, so they left patches of the original universe in the new universe. The place where Exon is sealed is in a place that the mortals call, the Void. It is a seemingly empty patch of space, but it actually another realm of its own. Only a very powerful being could enter it. The place where Hylia is sealed is only known by God, Chaos, Ra, Xodius, and me."

"After the universe was created, Chaos, Ra, and God created the Primordial Gods and Earth," Xodius said. "They also created guardians and such to defend Earth, like angels. However, the original Seven Guardians split up. Zoë went to Earth along with several others. Unfortunately, we have not heard from the Guardians since. They were tasked with finding the 'Chosen One' by Chaos, but could not find him or her. Now, Zoë, with the power of the Utherian Blade, could create illusions far more powerful than the Mist. In order to blend in, she erased all traces of her past. Zoë gave the Utherian Blade of the Sea to Heracles thinking that he was the 'Chosen One,' but she was wrong. Heracles took the blade, and Zoë fled. She went to the Hunters for refuge. Luckily, I stole the blade back from Heracles afterwards. I managed to suppress the blade's power and then told Pontus to give it to Poseidon."

"You sent Riptide to me?" Poseidon said, shocked. Xodius nodded.

"When Sally Jackson gave birth to Percy Jackson, I felt a huge energy disturbance. So I then stole Anaklusmos and sent it to Chiron, telling him that Poseidon had sent it. I had a hunch that the 'Chosen One' was Percy. Whether he is or not, I truly do not know. The evidence points towards yes, as he had wielded the power of Exon."

"How did he do that?" Thalia asked.

"Every being in the universe has Exon's dormant power inside of them, for every living being in the universe is a descendant of him. However, almost no one can harness it. Only we, the Utherians, could harness the power of Exon. And Percy, apparently. How he did it, I do not know. This has never happened before. However, over a decade ago, I told Zoë to look for Percy. Luckily they met and Zoë kept up her act as a boy-hating Hunter. Before she could inform Percy of all this, she died. When a Guardian is separated from his or her sword, he or she becomes exceptionally weak. Zoë lost her full immortality and died before she could tell Percy. However, she gave Percy the sword, who, when you all foolishly believed that stupid Athena and banished him, gave the sword back to Zoë. And now, she must return it to him. Zoë's duty as a Guardian is done." Xodius turned to her. She nodded and gave him Anaklusmos. She looked at Artemis and smiled.

"Although I had tricked you, you were still my best friend, Artemis." Zoë smiled and flickered. Then her body faded into the shadows. Artemis began to cry and Apollo tried to comfort her.

"Do not feel bad for Zoë. She is now at eternal rest and paradise," Xodius said. Then his eyes flashed. "While my champion is in the exact opposite. Also, there is a new danger arising. Xistrius."

"I thought he was gone?" Sirenius asked.

"He is back. He killed my champion's mother and step-father, I believe. He has also taken on the form of Percy and is probably spreading chaos and fear everywhere."

"Also, the Titans and Giants are rising," Nico added.

Xodius shook his head. "The Titans and Giants will be nothing compared to the power of Xistrius. However, you must all train hard. If Xistrius somehow frees Exon, it would mean the end of the universe. Unfortunately, we cannot help you against the battle with the Titans and Giants. We must tend to the Exon's prison to make sure that he does not escape. The only one who can probably stop Xistrius is Percy. My champion is unlike anyone else. His rage increases his power, speed, and skills. I will see if he will help you fight. But first…" Xodius and Sirenius glanced at each other sadly. A message seemed to pass between them. "We must attend the funeral of Megan Miller."

* * *

_**One day later…**_

Percy, Simon, Andrew, Xodius, Aether, Hemera, and several others stood in front of the tombstone of Megan Miller silently. The gods and demigods of Camp Half-Blood stood behind them silently, respecting the silence the son of Poseidon needed.

Tears silently ran down Percy's cheeks as he thought about the happy memories he and Megan had shared. He would never forgive himself for what happened. She was dead…and it was his entire fault. He was just too slow, too weak to save her. Percy silently made a vow to train harder. He would not let anyone else die for him. He wanted revenge against Annabeth, but his lust for revenge switched targets. Xistrius. Percy felt like he was to blame for Megan's death. He had done something, and Percy had just let him. Had just…had just…

"Augh!" Percy whirled around and stomped away. Andrew and Simon went after him. Before he could leave, Xodius placed his hand on Percy's shoulder.

"Where are you going, Percy?" he asked.

Percy faced his adoptive father. "Away from here. I need a break from all this." Xodius looked into his adoptive son's mind. The pain Percy was feeling was overwhelming. "I-I-I don't think I can take it anymore, dad. I...I just need a break now from all this."

Xodius sighed. He took out Riptide. "Take this, then. Zoë wishes that you have it."

Percy eyed Riptide. "I can't take it. It isn't mine. Give it back to her." He turned to leave.

"Zoë has faded," Xodius admitted. Percy froze. He slowly turned around.

"What?" Percy said, shocked. He had seen Zoë the day before!

Xodius started to explain everything to Percy. Everyone listened to what Xodius said.

"She believes that you are the true wielder of this blade." Xodius handed Riptide to Percy. He grabbed it hesitantly and turned to leave. Xodius stared at his son sadly.

"Percy, we need you!" Nico exclaimed. "We don't stand a chance against the Titans and Giants. We can't fight them without you. We need you."

Percy didn't turn around. "The Titans and Giants are weaklings. I'm leaving. Anyone who stops me will die." Percy started to walk away.

"Percy!" Annabeth approached him. "Why? Why'd you kill my mother?"

Percy's eyes flashed with anger and Annabeth was suddenly sent flying several hundred feet back. "Never talk to me again," Percy growled. Annabeth flew into the air and fell back down into the ground at five hundred miles per hour. Percy ran into the shadows and disappeared. That was the last time anybody had seen him.

For five years.

* * *

Even after five years Xodius and Sirenius still couldn't find him. Everyone eventually started to lose hope that Percy would ever return. However, the gods had something else to worry about. Xistrius was spotted several times again and again. He seemed to be keeping the Percy form. However, he had caused no damage at all. However, Bane, the son of Hyperion, was now becoming a threat. He had suddenly become very, very powerful. He was even becoming a threat to the Primordial Gods themselves. Also, the Giants and Titans were now ready for full-out war. To make things worse, Bane had combined his army with the Giants'/Titans' army.

Now, Camp Half-Blood was sending Nico, Thalia, and Annabeth to the Sahara Desert. The gods had felt a huge energy disturbance originating from the desert, but because the gods were needed back in America. The three immortal demigods were sent to check it out. However, upon leaving the god's territory, their powers decreased immensely. Their powers were no stronger than when they were simply children.

Currently, they were trekking through the desert, ignoring the heat and sand. Once they entered the Sahara Desert, the three had lost their ability to teleport.

"Greek fire isn't even this hot," Nico complained. Thalia wiped her forehead.

"Tell me about it," she panted. "Where does all this heat come from?"

"I'd rather not find out," Annabeth muttered.

Suddenly the temperature decreased immensely. "Aahh…" Nico said blissfully, closing his eyes. Thalia did the same. "This is the best."

"I don't think so," Annabeth disagreed. "Look." She pointed in front of them. Several hundred feet from them was a huge fortress. It seemed to be protected from the sand and heat, for there was a garden with lush forests surrounding the fortress. There were dracaenae guards patrolling the fortress, but luckily none of them had noticed the trio yet. The trio ducked.

"A fortress in the middle of a desert?" Thalia muttered. "You've gotta be kidding me."

"Do you think its one of Bane's?" Nico asked.

"Yup," a cheerful voice said from behind the trio. They whirled around and paled at the sight. Bane was standing right behind them holding a sword that appeared to be three feet long. It was on fire and glowed red (no duh). "So can I help ya?"

Nico immediately drew his Stygian Iron sword. Bane held out his hand and Nico's sword flew to it. Bane caught it and pointed it at Thalia, who was about to summon her spear and shield.

"Try it, and I'll kill you and your pathetic little girlfriend. You came to my base, and now you'll never leave." Bane grinned and prodded Thalia in the chest. Nico glared at him.

"Don't touch her," he growled.

"Hey, it's your weapon, so technically, I'm not doing anything," Bane said innocently. Bane suddenly cried out in pain as a dagger tip immerged from his chest. Annabeth.

"You'll have to do better than that!" Bane spun around and slashed, leaving a deep gash on Annabeth's body. She cried out in pain and collapsed. "Pitiful." Bane sheathed his sword and grabbed Annabeth's ankle. At that moment, Thalia summoned her spear and shield. She charged, but Bane simply cut another gash on Annabeth. "Attack, and she dies." Bane smiled. "Now…lay down your weapons."

Thalia hesitated. Then she looked at Annabeth's unconscious body. She dropped her weapons. Bane smiled even more. "March," he commanded. Nico and Thalia walked to the fortress while Bane dragged Annabeth. He also took Thalia's sword and shield. "Cool."

Once inside the fortress, Bane led the two down several stairs. He was still dragging Annabeth, allowing her head to bounce against the stairs like some kind of paddle ball. Bane eventually led them to a cell and threw Annabeth in the cell. He pushed Nico and Thalia in and left.

After an hour, Bane returned. "Thalia comes with me," he said. "No one else."

Nico growled. "She's not going with you."

Bane cocked an eyebrow and held his hand out. Lightning flew from his fingers and electrocuted Nico as if the son of Hyperion was some kind of Sith. Nico screamed in pain.

"Stop!" Thalia cried. "I'll go with you!"

Bane stopped. "Well, come on then!"

Thalia faced Nico, who was panting. "I'll be back," she whispered. She kissed him. Two guards came in and grabbed her. They forced her out of the room.

Bane winked at Nico. "Don't worry, di Angelo. I won't kill her." His eyes glinted with maniacal evil. "But I can't guarantee her innocence." Nico's eyes widened at that. He got up and charged at Bane, ignoring the pain, but Bane simply slammed the door in Nico's face.

Nico was sent flying against the wall. He groaned and sat up, worried out of his mind for Thalia. Then a cry caught his attention. He looked to his right and saw a small figure in the corner. He hadn't noticed the thing before. He got closer. It was a _baby_. What was a baby doing here? He picked it up. It was a boy. He had to be at most a few months old. Then Nico felt it.

A huge amount of power. From the child. The child opened his eyes and stared at Nico before starting to cry again. Nico got a glimpse of the child's eyes, and nearly dropped the baby in shock.

The baby's eyes were sea-green.

Nico paled. "Uh-oh."

* * *

_**Somewhere in the Void...again...**_

Exon grew tired of waiting. His servant was supposed to have found the way to destroy the seal, but still couldn't. Exon roared in anger and fired a huge beam of energy at the seal that would make a gamma ray burst seem like popping a bubble. The seal held. Exon growled. The Seal of Time kept regenerating no matter what Exon did.

"Master!" Exon's servant appeared.

_**"What is it, boy?!"**_ Exon growled. **_"Do you have good news for me?!"_**

"My lord, Lord Xistrius is destroying the Seal of Time in order to free you! In a few days time, the seal will finally be broken!"

If huge beasts could grin, then Exon did. _**"Excellent. Now, what else is there?!"**_

"Phantom is searching for the pieces of the Paladin Blade!"

Exon growled. He remembered that accursed blade well. It had only been formed once. His stupid nephew Sirenius had used it to injure him greatly and sealed him away into this stupid planet!

**_"Find the pieces. One is good enough. Do not allow that accursed Phantom to reform the Paladin Blade!"_** Exon commanded. His servant bowed and disappeared into the shadows.

Exon roared at the sky. _**"I WILL HAVE MY REVENGE!"**_


	5. Water Versus Fire

_**Somewhere in the White House…**_

"Mr. President?" President Archer looked up at a Secret Service agent.

"What is it?" The president answered.

"Your phone was ringing, sir. You should answer it."

"Ah, yes." The president picked up his phone and answered it. He internally smirked at the Secret Service agent's stupidity. No one except his wife and kids knew of money he had embezzled and used to bribe others. He had also made secret deals with drug dealers for money and allowed his brother to go about tearing apart that stupid Amazon Rainforest.

Little did he know that someone else knew of his crimes.

The assassin codenamed Phantom. Not that boy named Percy Jackson, but a cold, heartless killer who murdered several dictators and destroyed several drug cartels.

"Hello?" Archer said.

"It is an honor, Mr. President. Hello, Arc Archers," a harsh voice said. The president froze. He had heard this man before, but he couldn't quite remember who it was.

"Who is this?" Archer said as casually as possible.

"You don't know?" the voice chuckled. "I am the killer named Phantom."

Archer froze. He gestured for the Secret Service agent to leave the room. The agent promptly left, closing the door.

President Archer immediately stood up. "What do you want? Going to strike me down? I am completely innocent! I have not taken a single cent of illegal money!"

The Phantom laughed. "Really? Well then, Archer…How much money does that single cent hold?"

"What?! How dare you accuse me?!"

"I know all about your deals, the money you embezzled, and your stupid dream of becoming a dictator." The Phantom paused. The president took this as an opportunity to speak.

"What do you want with me?! Do you know who I am?!" The president screamed into the phone. "I am the PRESIDENT of the UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, YOU INSECT! I AM A GOD, AND YOU ARE NOT!"

The Phantom laughed. "You're right about that, president. I'm not a god. Why would I want to be one? Anyways, as for what I want, well…I'll make this simple. In a few hours, I will come to claim your life."

"As if you could kill me!"

"I've killed dictators far worse than you, fool," The Phantom said harshly, completely ignoring Archer's outburst. "I'll see you at midnight, Mr. President." The Phantom then hung up.

Archer slammed his phone on the desk. "That bastard…Thinks he can kill _me_? Ha!"

* * *

_**A few hours later…**_

11:59 pm. The president sat in his desk, working on some secret deals while everyone else slept. Not even the Secret Service knew that he was out of bed or where he was. How could The Phantom ever hope to kill him? Archer snorted at the idea of The Phantom ever breaching the walls of the White House.

Archer glanced at the clock. It was now midnight. And there was no one here. Archer smirked. He had always known that The Phantom was just another coward in the world. No one could kill the president in his own home!

"I am invincible!" Archer proudly proclaimed to the world. No answer. Then…

"Are you sure about that, Archer?" a harsh voice asked. Archer whirled around and saw him. The Phantom. The Phantom was wearing his typical black cloak, black pants, black shoes, black hood, and black sunglasses. How The Phantom had suddenly gotten here, Archer did not know.

Archer yelped in surprise and backed away. He called out for guards, but nobody came. "Don't bother," The Phantom said. "They're all dead. And now, so are you."

Archer stuck his chin out arrogantly. "If you kill me, my family will not stop until you are brutally murdered!"

The Phantom smiled so cruelly that Archer shivered in fear. "How can your family kill me when I've already killed them?"

Archer gaped in shock. Then he yelled and grabbed a lamp, swinging it at The Phantom. The Phantom simply stepped back as the cord of the lamp pulled Archer back. The Phantom drew a knife and stalked towards Archer who threw pens and other junk at The Phantom. The objects seemed to pass right through him. Archer screamed in fear and backed away and then tripped, falling on his back. He crawled away from the approaching assassin.

"Why are you doing this?" Archer whimpered.

"I'm saving the best for last," The Phantom growled. "I've already killed your pathetic little business brother, and now it's you turn."

"Please, I'll do anything, just spare me!"

Even with sunglasses on, the president could see Phantom's eyes flash in anger. Literally. "Then bring Megan Miller back, you bastard."

Archer froze. Not even his wife knew about that. "How did you—?"

"I knew her very well. I found out that you were trying to capture her and force her to be your slave just because you couldn't resist the want to not keep it in your pants." The Phantom drew another knife. "Good thing she was rescued before anything happened. But I still haven't forgiven you, incompetent mortal." The Phantom approached and an aura of pure fear radiated from him, infecting the president. He started shaking and sobbing.

Archer backed away, pleading. "I'm-I'm sorry! Please, I'll do anything!"

"Then bring her back. Since you can't, I'll do the next best thing." The Phantom stabbed Archer in the stomach, who screamed in pain. Nobody heard him scream. The Phantom twisted the blade and then drove another knife into Archer's body. The Phantom stabbed and twisted the blades again and again until the former president lay dead. The Phantom then cut his head off and then stabbed his knife straight through it, sticking it onto the wall of the Oval Office. He then wrote a note and stuck that onto the wall with his other knife. The note read:

"_For embezzling the citizens' money, doing secret drug deals, bribing politicians, and attempting rape, Arc Archer was brutally executed."_

_-Phantom_

The Phantom suddenly staggered. His head pounded. A huge power source in the East…_Bane!_ The Phantom quickly disappeared into the shadows.

* * *

_**Meanwhile in Africa…**_

"Let me GO!" Thalia struggled as the two guards dragged her down a dark hallway. Bane followed them, humming softly as he swaggered down the hallway. Today was going to be really fun.

The guards dragged Thalia into a room that was full of torturing devices. They chained her to a wooden post using Celestial Bronze. She was unable to use her powers now. The guards then left and Bane walked in, completely relaxed.

"Hi, Thalia!" Bane said cheerfully. Thalia just stared at him with a disgusted expression. "Oh, come on, you got to say hi to your friends, you know!"

"How'd you summon lightning?!" Thalia demanded.

Bane sighed, obviously faking it. "Well…" Bane smiled evilly. "Your friend Percy had one of those seven super swords, right?"

Thalia's eyes narrowed at that. "How do you know about—"

"I have two of those swords, Thals!" Bane continued happily. "And now, I'm invincible! Not even Percy—if he was still alive—could defeat me now!"

Thalia spat at Bane. "You're a liar and a fake. Percy could defeat you anytime. You're pathetic!"

"You're the own all tied up."

Thalia glared at Bane. "What do you want?!"

"Nothing except fun!" Bane smiled. Thalia frowned at that.

"What do you mean?"

"I mean…" Bane looked at Thalia slyly. "That we're going to have some fun. Together." Bane started to take off his armor. Thalia's eyes widened at that and she started to struggle against her bonds desperately as Bane laughed evilly.

* * *

Nico stared at the baby. Who was this? And why was he so powerful? Nico felt like he was holding some kind of, like, super baby god or something. How did Bane come across this baby?

The baby continued to cry nonstop. Annabeth was still unconscious. Nico glanced at her distastefully. Thalia may have forgiven her, but Nico still hated Annabeth for helping her mom destroy Percy's life. Nico looked back at the crying baby and sighed, trying to calm it. How on earth do people calm babies? In Nico's opinion, it was like freaking magic.

Still, he had to get out of here and save Thalia from Bane's filthy hands. Nico tried to shadow travel out of the room, but nothing happened. The shadows simply didn't respond to him. Nico approached the door and banged on it. Nobody answered. Frustrated, Nico kicked the door, and the baby cried harder. Then it looked at the door and suddenly stopped crying. It cooed and then touched it with its finger. The door instantly crumbled into dust. Nico ran out of the room and towards wherever Thalia was held. The baby started to cry again.

"Stop him!" the guards yelled. Nico ran as fast as he could. Now, he had access to the shadows. He swung his hand and the shadows responded, thickening and solidifying until it formed a wall between the son of Hades and the guards. The guards cried out in surprise. Nico smirked and then started to run, but a huge Cyclops blocked his way. Nico created a shadow wall, but the Cyclops just roared and smashed right through it. Nico yelled in pain as the Cyclops advanced towards him. As the Cyclops made a fist to smash Nico, the baby cooed and held his hand out at the Cyclops. The Cyclops immediately fell down, dead like a mortal. The baby then yawned and went to sleep.

Nico stared at the baby in shock, but then remembered Thalia and started to run again. For some reason, he couldn't shadow-travel. He was probably too weakened right now to do it. But still, he had to reach Thalia no matter what.

* * *

The Phantom walked towards the fortress. Several dracaenae approached him, but he just flicked his hand and the water inside of them expanded, obliterating the monsters. He continued on his path. If Bane was emitting an energy signal this powerful, then Phantom really didn't want to know how powerful Xistrius could be now. Or maybe Exon. Apparently, Xodius and Sirenius had resealed Exon. Xistrius had fled again like the coward he was, but the seal was weak. Without the Paladin Blade, it would only be a matter of time before the seal shattered.

Two Cyclopes, Laistrygonians, and a phalanx of dracaenae approached him. Phantom smiled cruelly and drew two black daggers. The Laistrygonians first attacked. They swung clubs made out of steel streetlights and wielded shields made from flattened cars. The leader had a shield made from a Bugatti Veyron. Phantom pitied whoever was the owner of that car. The Laistrygonians charged at Phantom, who didn't move until the last second. He dove to the side and rolled under one giant's legs. The Laistrygonians, being stupid, swung at their comrade, killing him. They roared in anger and charged Phantom again. He crouched slightly and waited. As the Laistrygonians came closer, Phantom suddenly disappeared. Then he reappeared in front of the Laistrygonian group, facing the Cyclopes. The Laistrygonians turned around, but then they suddenly fell apart into bloody pieces, completely and thoroughly dead.

The Cyclopes stared at Phantom before charging. The dracaenae phalanx followed closely behind. Phantom rolled his shoulders and then threw his knifes at the Cyclopes, tearing right through the both of them and imbedding themselves in the shield wall of the dracaenae. Phantom then drew a glowing sea-green sword from what seemed to be from thin air. But in reality, he summoned it from the symbol on the back of his right hand. One sword representing that he had only one Utherian sword in possession. The rest were still yet to be found by Phantom.

The dracaenae began to advance arrogantly, believing that even though the stranger had single-handedly defeated several big monsters, the sheer size of the phalanx could defeat the stranger. Phantom smirked at the stupidity of the dracaenae. He held out his sword, and the moisture inside of the dracaenae instantly obeyed his will. Phantom then forced the dracaenae to stab themselves. He walked over to the piles of dust of the monsters and grabbed a spear. He aimed it carefully at the fortress and threw it straight through a window. A surprised cry of pain from a monster rewarded him.

Phantom ran to the gates of the fortress and knocked on them. Then he used the Utherian sword to create an illusion, making him invisible to even the eyes of an Utherian God. The doors opened, and a guard stepped out. He saw the piles of dust and the dead monsters and his mouth dropped open in shock. Phantom immediately cut the guard's head off and sprinted inside. It was time for a showdown with Bane. If he was lucky, then only one would leave the Sahara alive.

* * *

Thalia struggled desperately as Bane approached, taking off his armor. He then proceeded to take off his shirt. Thalia was sweating like crazy. She _had_ to get out of here, no matter what.

"You know what I've never seen?" Bane asked Thalia. She didn't bother to reply and kept concentrating on freeing herself. "You know, that isn't going to work. Not even your boyfriend can save you now. But I suppose he wouldn't really want to keep dating a dirty girl."

"Disgusting piece of crap." Bane was blasted straight through the wall and out of the fortress by a beam of darkness. The person who shot it seemed to radiate power more than a god. Thalia immediately felt wary and relieved. Who was this man? His eyes were glowing red, casting an aura of fear, igniting all of Thalia's deepest fears and making them more vivid than Hades helm could. He wore all black and looked like a grim reaper minus the scythe. Thalia shivered.

"I don't know who you are, but I suppose I should free you," the man said, his voice devoid of emotion. The Celestial Bronze chains then snapped when the man shot beams of energy at them. "Run or you will die."

"I'm immortal," Thalia retorted. "And who are you?"

"And I was trained to murder immortals," the man answered. "Now do not interfere. This is not your fight, girl. I am Phantom." The man leaped out of the hole in the fortress that Bane had created.

Just then, Nico ran into the room holding a baby. "Are you alright?"

Thalia nodded and pointed at the baby. "Who's that?"

"Dunno, but we gotta get back to Camp Half-Blood!"

"We need that guy's help."

"Who?"

Thalia quickly explained the appearance of the stranger. Nico's eyes widened. "He must be exceptionally powerful to do that."

"I'll watch him. Go get Annabeth!"

Nico hesitated. "Can't you go instead?"

Thalia glared at him. Nico paled and ran off, muttering, "Sorry, just a thought."

Thalia ran out of the fortress and saw that the man and Bane were facing each other. Bane, somehow, was fully clothed and in armor while the man wasn't wearing any.

"You'll pay for this, Phantom!" Bane shouted.

Phantom was silent. He summoned a sea-green sword from thin air. "We'll see."

Bane grinned and summoned a flaming, red sword from thin air as well. "You aren't the only one with an Utherian sword, you know. I probably wield more power than you!"

"Water trumps fire," was all that the Phantom said. Thalia froze. Didn't Percy have the Utherian sword of water five years ago? Riptide? Then how did this Phantom get it? Unless…no…

Bane grinned and lifted his hand. A bolt of lightning flew at Phantom, who barely managed to dodge it. He swung his sword and a huge wave of water appeared from it, condensing into ice spears and flying at Bane. The son of Hyperion grinned and lifted his hand. A huge pillar of fire erupted from the earth and collided with the wave, evaporating it. Then Bane shot several bolts of lightning at Phantom, who seemed to flicker and disappear.

Bane narrowed his eyes and then felt a presence behind him. He slashed behind him and Phantom stepped back to avoid the blade. Bane grinned manically. "I've waited for this a long time, Phantom. I always wanted to test the legendary killer Phantom's skill."

"Likewise."

Bane's grin widened as he summoned _another _Utherian sword. Phantom stepped back but then regained his composure. "How?!"

"I wield the Utherian Blade of Fire, and also the Utherian Blade of the Sky." Bane grinned. "I am the master of the sky now, neither Zeus nor Ouranos can defeat me now!"

"We'll see," Phantom growled. He lunged with Riptide and slashed at Bane in a completely unorthodox style. Bane growled like a wild animal and countered. Bane tried to use the power of the blades, but Phantom was too fast. His reflexes were greater than even some gods and his speed could rival even Aether's.

Bane, frustrated, leaped back and summoned his Solar Flare. "I used this to nearly kill Percy Jackson decades ago," he gloated. He threw the ball of fire at Phantom who summoned a huge wave and threw that at the fire ball. The two collided, creating a huge explosion of steam. Just then, Nico and Annabeth reached Thalia. Annabeth was leaning heavily on Nico, who looked like he would like nothing more than dropping her.

Phantom slammed his sword into the ground. The earth started to shake violently, and a huge wave that was several hundred feet high appeared out of nowhere. Several huge geysers erupted out of the earth and shot into the air. They then headed towards Bane. Bane paled, seeing the true power of the sea. He then growled and summoned a huge amount of fire tendrils from the Utherian Blade of Fire. The tendrils collided with the water, turning it into steam. The steam then fogged up the battle field, and in that moment of confusion, Phantom created a huge amount of copies of himself to trick Bane. He also willed Riptide to make him invisible.

The steam cleared and Bane's jaw hit the ground. Several hundred copies of Phantom now surrounded him. Bane growled and summoned a huge lightning bolt. Just then he felt a slash across his body. He yelled in pain and jumped away, but then felt another slash, creating a bloody "X" on his torso. His lightning bolt struck the ground with a force greater than Zeus's master bolt, cracking open the earth and sending a massive shockwave through the ground. Thalia, Nico, and Annabeth tumbled to the ground. The copies of Phantom were completely eradicated.

Silence. Then…

"Pitiful," Phantom's voice said. "I expected more from a wielder of two Utherian swords."

"Augh!" Bane shot fire and lightning everywhere, but Phantom managed to dodge every attack. Still, it took him all his skill to not end up being roasted and fried at the same time. Bane screamed in rage and summoned several tornadoes and a huge hurricane. The winds whipped at Phantom, but he was still too fast. Bane abandoned the storms and summoned a huge red lightning bolt. Bane had summoned Heaven's Lightning. How he had done such a feat or even know about it, Phantom couldn't figure out.

Bane grinned and pointed his swords at Phantom, and the bolt struck him with full force. Phantom was blasted back several hundred feet. He groaned in pain. The pain from Heaven's Lightning wasn't much, but Phantom could feel that the bolt had drained him of his energy a lot. Bane, thinking that he had won, started to shoot lightning bolts and fireballs at Phantom. Phantom got up, ignoring the fatigue and pain, and dodged, using his sword to mist-travel-a process where he could teleport through the water vapor.

Phantom then saw an opening and lunged at Bane, abandoning his invisibility illusion. At that time, with impossible speed and reflexes, Bane turned around and stabbed Phantom with both swords in the chest.

"No!" Thalia shouted. The Phantom stood there and dropped his sword, which then dissolved into water. Bane frowned in confusion. Then his eyes widened in realization. He spun around, slashing but it was too late. The real Phantom stabbed him in the stomach and then made another slash across his chest. Bane roared in pain and staggered back, dropping the Utherian Blade of the Sky. Phantom picked it up and his aura intensified and then sword disappeared. The symbol of a sword appeared next to the other symbol on the back of his right hand.

Bane faced Phantom and glared at him in hatred and a bit of fear. "You're a coward, Bane," Phantom said. "And you've lost." Phantom raised his sword and it started to crackle with red electricity. Heaven's Lightning. "Now for the final strike."

Bane growled. He was Bane! The son of Hyperion! He was immortal, powerful, and better than that Jackson or that Phantom! "Never!" Fire erupted from Bane's sword and blasted Phantom back a hundred feet. Phantom winced in pain. His clothes were enchanted to be impervious against fire, but the Utherian sword somehow ignored the enchantment and singed the clothing.

Bane then shot a huge pillar of fire at Phantom, who got up unsteadily and dodged to the right. Then he lunged, slashing at Bane, who blocked, although weakened. Phantom knew that Bane was weakening, and started to use that to his advantage, pressing his opponent harder and harder. Bane's attacks and parries became slower and slower. Phantom then slapped Bane away with the flat of his blade and drew two black daggers. He threw them at Bane, who luckily managed to block both with his sword. Bane yelled and a huge tornado of fire erupted from his sword and flew at Phantom. Phantom summoned several geysers, which were just enough to stop the tornado. Phantom had to admit, fighting an opponent who was wielding an Utherian sword was tougher than anything in his life. Especially if the opponent was someone like Bane, who had his fire powers enhanced even more by the blade he was wielding right now. However, at least he no longer wielded the Utherian Blade of the Sky. If Phantom had to fight Bane with that still, he would have probably lost and died, allowing Bane to take Riptide and use it to grow even more powerful.

Phantom decided to surprise Bane with an attack that Phantom had recently mastered. A combined beam attack of light and shadow. Bane attacked with another fire tornado, but this time, Phantom dodged the tornado and summoned several geysers to stop it. He then put away his sword and lifted both his hands. They glowed and then a ball of light and darkness appeared, forming a lightning bolt that was covered in white and black stripes. It crackled with tremendous power. The sky darkened and the earth shook as the equilibrium of the universe unleashed its power. The power of Chaos. Bane backed away in fear. Never before had the son of Hyperion seen a power like this before. He had never even heard of light and darkness combining.

Phantom smirked and then threw the bolt at Bane, who blocked it with his sword, but the bolt then arced down his sword, into his body, and back out. Bane screamed in pain and collapsed. He crawled towards his sword, weakened to the point of collapsing because of the attack. Before Phantom could react, Bane grabbed the sword and vanished in a flame. "Next time, Phantom," Bane growled before disappearing completely.

Phantom was disappointed that Bane had gotten away, but no matter. Another sword was in his possession now. The swords that were left were the swords of Fire, Earth, Light, Darkness, and the Void. Although Phantom had found some rumors on the swords of Fire, Earth, Light, and Darkness, he could not find anything on the sword of the Void. Phantom had a growing suspicion that the guardian of that blade was the leader and the most powerful. He also had a strange feeling that the last sword he would find would be the sword of the Void. For its guardian to have evaded the eyes of mortals and immortals for this long…that was something that Phantom respected. The guardian must be very powerful and good at hiding to be able to do this. That meant that Phantom would have to gain a lot more stealth, speed, and power to defeat this guardian. Chances were that this guardian would be with the sword.

"Um…sir?" Nico asked. Phantom turned around and faced the son of Hades.

"What is it, boy?" Phantom asked harshly. He didn't have time for this.

"Could you send us to New York?" Thalia asked.

Phantom scoffed. "I thought that you were immortal," he jeered. Thalia glared at him. "Very well." He lifted his hand and shot a beam of darkness at the shadows. The shadows rippled and then formed a whirling portal. "This portal will take you to New York. Whether we meet again, I do not know. Farewell." Phantom disappeared in a flash of light.

Thalia helped Annabeth walked into the portal. Nico stared at the place where Phantom had been before running in the portal with the baby.

* * *

The four tumbled into a pile on the sidewalk of New York. Immediately, Thalia teleported them to Camp Half-Blood and went to the infirmary with Annabeth. Nico stayed behind with the baby who was now asleep.

The campers began to swarm him.

"What happened?"

"How did it go?"

"Did you find the source?"

"Did you make it?"

"What's that?"

The last question was something Nico couldn't answer. He explained what had happened in the fortress and the appearance of Phantom. Chiron and Thalia then walked up to him.

"Thalia told me of the baby," Chiron began. "May I see him?"

Nico was about to hand the baby to Chiron, but then there was a blinding flash of light. When it cleared, a piece of paper was lying on the ground next to Nico's feet. Thalia picked it up and paled at what it said.

"What is it, Thalia?" Chiron asked. The campers leaned forward in anticipation.

"'The child's name is Primus,'" she read. "'He is-is…'" She looked up with wide eyes. "'…my child. The last son of the goddess Hylia.'"


	6. Information About The Swords

_**UTHERIAN BLADE OF THE SEA:**_

** Wields the power of water.**

** Can summon water from the sword itself.**

** Can summon huge tidal waves, geysers, water tornadoes, maelstroms.**

** Can control the water in a being's body.**

** UNIQUE POWER: Can create perfect illusions from water.**

** WEAKNESS: Water control has no effect on beings wielding an Utherian sword.**

** GUARDIAN: Zoe Nightshade. Gave the sword to Percy Jackson. Sword is sometimes referred to as Anaklusmos or Riptide.**

** Location: With Phantom.**

* * *

_**UTHERIAN BLADE OF THE SKY:**_

**Wields the full power of the sky and air.**

** Can summon lightning bolts from the sword.**

** Can summon lightning bolts from the sky far more powerful than Zeus' master bolt.**

** Can create huge hurricanes, tornadoes, wind, storms. **

** Can control air pressure and what state matter is in.**

** UNIQUE POWER: Can create Chaos Lightning by combining Heaven's Lightning with regular lightning, forming a deadly bolt capable of slaying immortals.**

** WEAKNESS: CAN BE NEGATED BY THE UTHERIAN BLADE OF THE EARTH.**

** GUARDIAN: Archinus. Killed by Bane.**

** Location: With Phantom.**

* * *

_**UTHERIAN BLADE OF FIRE:**_

** Wields the power of fire.**

** Can summon fire from the sword.**

** Can summon huge fire storms and fire tornadoes. **

** Gives the wielder full immunity against the heat and effects of any flame. **

** Can burn anything. **

** UNIQUE POWER: Can create a huge fire explosion, incinerating anything within a fifty mile radius save the wielder.**

** WEAKNESS: CAN BE NEGATED BY THE UTHERIAN BLADE OF WATER.**

** GUARDIAN: Pyronus. Killed by Bane.**

** Location: With Bane.**

* * *

_**UTHERIAN BLADE OF THE EARTH:**_

**Wields the full power of the earth. **

** Can summon huge earthquakes spanning continents. **

** Can concentrate power to create a huge earthquake in a small area.**

** Can open an earth gate to Tartarus and the Underworld. **

** Can create tunnels and sinkholes. **

** UNIQUE POWER: Gives the wielder full immunity to the powers of water, fire, and the sky. **

** WEAKNESS: Saps the energy of the wielder with every special attack.**

** GUARDIAN: Gaea.**

** Location: Jeju-do (Jeju Island).**

* * *

_**UTHERIAN BLADE OF LIGHT:**_

**Gives the wielder full power over light. **

** Can create light beams and light-based attacks from the sword.**

** Allows the wielder to absorb all light in an area, casting the area in darkness. **

** Can intensify the luminosity of light in an area. **

** Can travel at the speed of light.**

**UNIQUE POWER: The wielder can absorb light to become temporarily stronger and faster.**

** WEAKNESS: Completely negated by the Utherian Blade of Darkness.**

** GUARDIAN: Arthur Pendragon. Sword is sometimes referred to as Excalibur. **

** Location: Mount Everest.**

* * *

_**UTHERIAN BLADE OF DARKNESS:**_

**Gives wielder full power over darkness and the shadows. **

** Can create shadow attacks from the sword.**

** Allows the wielder to be undetected in the shadows by even Utherians. **

** Can allow the wielder to locate anyone in the shadows.**

** Can allow the wielder to teleport anywhere by shadow.**

** The wielder becomes twice as strong and fast when in darkness.**

** UNIQUE POWER: Can instill fear so powerful it can kill an immortal.**

** WEAKNESS: The sword cannot summon Heaven's Lightning, for the lightning negates the power of the sword. **

** GUARDIAN: Damien Shade. He is the second most powerful of the guardians.**

**Location: deepest part of Tartarus. Only someone with five Utherian Blades can enter this area, for it was created by Damien Shade himself.**

* * *

_**UTHERIAN BLADE OF THE VOID:**_

**Most powerful blade of the Utherian swords. **

** Can create huge black holes, supernovas, and other attacks at a cosmic scale. **

** Allows the wielder to absorb anything, making the wielder stronger than ever permanently. **

** UNIQUE POWER: Can summon the attack, "Void Collapse," an attack so powerful that it can rip apart the entire universe and the gods with it. This attack can be concentrated to one enemy or army, completely eradicating them not only from this universe, but also from every parallel universe. **

** WEAKNESS: The sword is very hard to control. Only the most powerful of beings can contain the legendary power of this sword. **

** GUARDIAN: X. **

** Location: The center of the Dark Flow. X is the cause of the Dark Flow. He must be defeated if the seeker wishes to gain the sword. He will only fight those who have all the other swords (aka, he hasn't fought anyone at all).**

* * *

_**According to texts in Utheria, there is something else needed to create the Paladin Blade. What that is, nobody knows. But legend says that it was forged by Hylia herself. Apparently, there is a test for anyone who wishes to gain the item. They must apparently face seven guardians at one time. These guardians are rumored to be much more power than the guardians of the Utherian Blades. **_


	7. Reconcile

Exon was absolutely livid. His servant had informed him that Xistrius would free him from his prison in a few days. It had been more than twenty days.

Still, his stupid excuse of a brother had not freed him from the Seal of Time. Why this was happening, Exon could not figure out. However, he did sense a huge power drop in the universe. It was as if two of those blasted Ultimate Gods had died. The universe was in turmoil. Even from within the confines of his prison, the Encryptian god could sense such power disturbances. Then he felt a new power disturbance.

A huge power source, much more powerful than the amount of power lost by the power drop. Exon growled softly. He had to find out what was causing this power source and then he had to destroy it. This power source was keeping the universe of his stupid nephews from collapsing in on itself. Exon then smiled evilly—at least, if beasts could smile. Once the power source was destroyed, he could perhaps free himself from this prison and destroy the universe. Then, he would create a new universe—one without such imperfections and bothers like his sister's children. Blast that Hylia. Why did she always have to ruin everything for him and Xistrius? After all the times of Exon and Xistrius respecting her, she repaid them by creating gods with the task of sealing them away.

Exon turned towards the sky and blasted the seal with an experimental amount of energy. Nothing happened. The blast had absolutely no effect on the seal. Somehow, the seal had increased exponentially in strength. It was clear that even Xistrius would not be able to break the current seal. There was only one thing in the universe that could destroy the seal.

The Paladin Blade.

But an idea then formed in the Encryptian's mind. Perhaps he could escape in another way...He roared and several of his cells passed the seal and went into the universe. Then they started multiplying, creating a huge infectious monster. This beast was then found by Xistrius, who then thought of the perfect way to end the universe.

* * *

The campers stared at Thalia in shock and confusion. Nico grabbed the paper and read it with wide eyes. He looked at the baby. "I thought that the goddess Hylia had only three sons. How can this baby be her son? Maybe it's a trick."

"Possibly," a voice spoke from the shadows. Nico whirled around and the campers looked at the direction of where the voice came from. A figure dressed in black clothing stepped out. His face was hidden by a hood, but his mouth was visible. It was Phantom. "However, there are little who know of Hylia's existence. No one would do something like this just for a laugh."

"Who are you?" a camper asked.

Phantom smiled harshly. "I am Phantom." He turned to Thalia and Nico. "Nico di Angelo, Thalia Grace, take this portal. We must talk." He pointed his hand at the shadows and a dark portal shimmered into existence. He turned to leave. "There, I will tell you everything that I know about this child." He disappeared into the portal.

Nico and Thalia glanced at each other warily. Nico gave the child to Chiron. "Watch him until we return." The two ran into the portal and disappeared.

They ended up in a dark city. Like, literally, dark. There was just enough light to distinguish objects and there was no one around. Nico and Thalia spun in circle, trying to figure out where they were. Then they saw it.

A poster with an alien like those from a science fiction movie. It read,

WANTED

RORRAC

DEAD OR ALIVE

REWARD: 100,000,000 Skars

Thalia and Nico looked at each other in confusion. Then Nico spoke. "What the f—"

* * *

Phantom appeared from the shadows and collapsed onto his bed. He was currently staying in a hotel on the planet Estrugia and boy, he was dead-tired. The burns he had received while fighting Bane hadn't healed at all, leading Phantom to believe that the burns had to be healed magically. But how, Phantom did not know.

Painfully, Phantom took off his cloak and shirt. He examined the burns on his stomach. They were worse than any burn he had ever seen in his life, which was saying a lot. He used water to cool it and then he wrapped his stomach with a bandage, covering the burns well. Unfortunately, the Utherian Blade of the Sea did not allow the user to heal inside water. Phantom had to admit that he envied the children of Poseidon. Even if they had a serious injury, they could simply dive into the water and heal. As for Phantom, the best he could do was to make an injury feel better with water.

Phantom sighed. He examined his right hand. Two sword symbols glowed on the back of his hand, indicating that he now wielded two Utherian swords. To conjure one, all he had to do was to think about doing so. Simple as that.

As Phantom thought about why three immortal demigods were in the Sahara Desert, the ground shifted and turned into dirt. Phantom narrowed his eyes. He knew what this presence was. She had spoken to him before, but Phantom had ignored her and left then. Now, he wasn't in the mood to run.

"Show yourself, Gaea," Phantom said without looking at the earth. The earth moved and shifted, creating a dirt statue of a beautiful woman. It was Gaea, the Primordial goddess of the Earth. "What do you want Gaea? And how did you find me." The statue started to move.

Gaea shifted uneasily. Phantom still did not look at her. He could hear all of the shifting Gaea was doing, and he could feel the tension in the room. "When you went to the Sahara to find Bane, I was able to pinpoint your location and track you back here," Gaea said proudly. "The Sahara Desert is one of my most active places. As for what I want, Perseus…" She trailed off, watching for Phantom's reaction.

Phantom froze. Then he laughed. "Sorry, what? For a second there, I heard you call me…Perseus..?" Gaea looked confused. "Sorry to burst your bubble, Gaea, but I'm not this…Perseus."

"Then you will not react when I tell you that lords Sirenius and Xodius are dead?" Gaea said.

Phantom chuckled. "Do you truly believe that I have a care for gods that the mortals never even knew about? But this is interesting. Tell me, how did they die? After all, they are still Utherian Gods. There is almost no one who has the power to kill such a being. Even Xistrius is too weak from my last encounter with him along with Luminous. There is no one who could kill two Utherian Gods currently."

Gaea hesitated. "The Utherian Gods did not die by one's hand."

Phantom raised an eyebrow, even though Gaea could not see it. "Then how did the two die?"

"They sacrificed themselves to reseal the Encryptian God Exon. The seal is stronger than ever, and even Xistrius and Exon combined cannot destroy the seal." Gaea faced Phantom, who seemed to be devoid of emotion. "I'm sorry, Perseus."

Phantom scoffed. "Do you really think that I'm Perseus Jackson, Gaea? Yeah, I've heard of him. He's basically legend everywhere." Phantom had already answered Gaea's question before she even asked it.

"When did this incident happen?" Phantom asked.

Gaea hesitated again. Should she tell him? Gaea decided that Chaos would probably tell her to do so. "It happened a few days ago."

Phantom got up. "Without the Utherians, it will only be a while before the universe collapses. How are the Ultimates holding up?"

"Not well. And Perseus—"

Phantom whirled around. He was growing tired of this and Gaea's stupidity. "Listen here, earth goddess. When I killed Perseus Jackson five years ago and stole the Utherian Blade of the Sea from him, I already crossed a river where I could never return from." He turned away as Gaea stepped back in shock. She knew that Chaos would be furious with Phantom now. "Since you're here, I have a question for you. Since you are the goddess of the Earth, do you know where the Utherian Blade of the Earth is located?"

Gaea hesitated. It was obvious that she knew something. "That is for you to find out. However, I will give you a hint, Phantom," she said. "The blade is located in Jeju Island. The reason I know this is because I am the guardian of the blade."

Phantom showed no reaction. To him, showing reaction was a weakness. When Bane had revealed the Utherian Blade of the Sky, Phantom had accidentally showed how shocked he was. But this time, Phantom had it easy. He had to admit, it was a little obvious. The goddess of the earth being the guardian of the blade of the earth? Phantom couldn't think of a better candidate for being a guardian of the sword.

"I might as well then just go and take it, then," Phantom said.

"Unfortunately, there is a test that you must pass to gain the sword. It will be very difficult." Gaea turned to leave.

"That reminds me, why did you come here in the first place?" Phantom asked politely, but Gaea could here the ferocity behind the politeness.

"Chaos has summoned the council of the Ultimates. He wants you and Luminous to attend the meeting." With that, Gaea disappeared. Phantom cursed. No doubt that Chaos would ask about who Phantom truly was. Chaos already knew who Luminous was, for she was serving under her father, Aether. Still, Phantom had to obey Chaos and attend the meeting. It was Luminous' and his main job to suppress the actions of Xistrius for as long as possible as the Ultimates discussed how they would take action.

Suddenly, Phantom felt a huge power surge coming from the Spectre System. Xistrius! Phantom held out his hand and formed a shadow portal. It had taken some time to master, but Phantom was able to master this skill. After, all, he wasn't called the "Demon of Hell" for nothing. On the other hand, Luminous was called the "Angel of Light" by her enemies. Even though Aether and Luminous were usually peaceful, Luminous was fully capable of fighting better than many gods. The more Phantom thought about it, the more he realized how strange it was that a child of light and a child of none (but as Phantom liked to call it, the child of darkness) were quite good friends. Phantom had never shown his face to even Luminous, but Luminous wasn't so shy—or as Phantom liked to call it, reckless. Luminous, like her father, was a blonde. However, she was very smart, unlike the stereotype of blondes. Honestly, Phantom couldn't figure out where that stereotype had come from.

Phantom shook off these thoughts and ran into the portal. Even though he was tired and injured from the last battle, he had to stop Xistrius. No matter what the cost.

* * *

Nico and Thalia kept exploring the city, but they could not find anyone or anything that told them where they were. Nico was not in a good mood. First, Bane captures him and almost rapes Thalia, and now the son of Hades and the daughter of Zeus are stuck in this really messed up city full of wanted posters of aliens. Nico started to suspect that he wasn't even in America, or even Earth. For starters, his immortality had disappeared, and his powers were greatly weakened. He felt like his powers were weaker than when he was in the Sahara Desert. And that place was freaking crazy.

Just then, Nico walked into Thalia, for he was too wrapped up in his own thoughts. Nico muttered an apology and kept walking, but Thalia grabbed him and pulled him back. "Why did we stop?" Nico asked. "What's wrong?"

Thalia didn't say anything. Instead, she summoned her shield and spear. Nico looked around him. There was an army of cloaked figures standing in a circle, completely surrounding the two. Nico cursed in Ancient Greek. How had he not noticed them in the first place? He drew his sword and got into a defensive position. Thalia did the same and held up Aegis, but the hooded figures showed no reaction to the shield of terror. Instead, they simply drew swords, daggers, and axes. Laughter rang out from the shadows. Nico tried to concentrate and detect where it was coming from, but his senses found nothing. Where was the laughter coming from?

"You walked right into a trap, demigods," the voice laughed. A figure strode out from the shadows. Nico nearly dropped his sword in shock. It was Phantom. He had betrayed the two. "And now, you will both die. And no one will ever know where you are or where your bodies are." Phantom smiled gruesomely and even though Nico was the son of Hades, he couldn't help but shiver a bit. He felt Thalia do the same. They went back to back, staring at the cloaked figures warily. "After all, you aren't even on Earth."

"Why did you save us then, only to betray and kill us now?" Nico demanded, although he kept his eyes on the figures. "Where's the point in that?"

"You're mistaken," Phantom laughed. "I did not save you then. Although, I was the one who told you to come here. Do you know who I am, demigods?"

Nico then looked at Phantom, trying to see what Phantom meant by that. "If you're an imposter, then why are you hiding?" Thalia demanded. "No one is here to know who you are, so show yourself, you coward!"

Phantom chuckled. "Your bravery serves you well, Thalia Grace. Very well. I will reveal myself." He took off his hood, revealing the face of…Percy…Jackson. Nico gaped in shock.

"P-Percy?" Thalia whispered. Percy then smiled evilly and Nico instantly knew that this was not Percy.

"No, stupid girl. I am Xistrius. And today is the last day you will live. Say your goodbyes to each other, Thalia Grace and Nico di Angelo, for you die now." Nico readied his sword.

"Then we go down fighting until we draw our last breaths." Thalia and Nico made a silent agreement. They would both die, but at least they could do as much damage as possible.

Xistrius laughed. "Very well." He looked at one of the cloaked figures, who Nico assumed to be the commander. "Do it!"

The cloaked figures then yelled a mighty battle cry and charged at the two. The two yelled their respective battle cries and lunged, both impaling one of the soldiers. Thalia blocked, jabbed with her spear, swung it, and used all her skill to dodge and fight the soldiers. She had to admit that the soldiers were very good fighters. They slashed, blocked, and dodged her attacks. She then summoned some lightning and the bolt hit several soldiers. They screamed and collapsed. Thalia smirked and jabbed. Lightning arced from her spear and into another solder. The soldier collapsed and another soldier pushed him away before lunging. Thalia blocked with her shield and jabbed. The soldier blocked and counterattacked. He got lucky and managed to graze her side. Thalia winced and continued to fight just as ferociously.

Nico stabbed one soldier and immediately slashed at three others. Two strikes, four kills. He then blocked an attack, sliced an axe at the handle, and hit a sword so hard that it shattered against the Stygian Iron. Nico ducked under a slash and slashed the soldier's legs before stabbing him. Then he turned around and blocked a strike going for his heart. He dodged another slash and sidestepped when a soldier tried to imbed the blade of a pole arm into Nico's skull. Nico bent down and chopped a soldier's legs off and then rolled to the side while grabbing a fallen soldier's sword. He started to fight in a complete unorthodox way, wielding the two blades with such expertise that the enemy was having a harder time than before. But then one of the soldiers used a disarming move, and one of the swords went flying. Luckily, it was not Nico's Stygian Iron sword. He took a deep breath and tried to summon skeletons to help him and Thalia with the battle. Nothing happened. Was it because he was one a different planet? Nico didn't know the answer, so he shrugged it aside and concentrated on the battle. He blocked and slashed. Then he called upon the shadows. They responded, condensing into spears. The shadow spears launched themselves at the army. Nico then felt someone slash his back and winced in pain before retaliating.

Thalia kept dodging and fighting, but without her immortality, she was reaching her limit. The battle had been raging for almost ten minutes now, and Thalia was exhausted. She got a glimpse of Xistrius watching the battle with a grin on his face. Thalia felt like the army had an infinite amount of soldiers. How many soldiers did Xistrius have in this army?

Thalia sent lightning at the soldiers, but each bolt she sent increased her fatigue by a lot. She was getting slower and her muscles screamed in protest, but she ignored it and continued to fight. If she was going to die, she would go down fighting until the last breath.

Nico was sending shadow attacks at the enemy, but the shadow attacks were draining him of his energy. He and Thalia were both covered in cuts, but they persisted somehow. They would not give in like this. His muscles felt like they were dying and his body ached, but his mind was set. In a sick way, it was like a game with Thalia. The first one to drop loses—or in this case, dies. Nico had just sliced a soldier in half and stabbed another before he heard a cry of pain behind him. _Thalia_. Nico whirled around and rushed to her side. Her spear and shield were lying on the floor and she was clutching her side. Her hands were bloody and her side was oozing blood very quickly. Nico did a 360 slash in a desperate effort to protect her. But then he felt a sword go straight though his stomach. He was then grabbed from behind and tossed backwards. His sword fell next to Thalia, who was unconscious from the blood loss.

"Thalia!" Nico ignored the blood and pain and struggled, but the soldiers then tossed him to the ground. Nico rolled to the side as a soldier stabbed at him with a sword. Then he grabbed a ripped up book that was lying around and held it out to the sword. The sword stabbed through the spine and stopped as Nico pressed as hard as he could on the book. However, he knew that he was done for. He had lost.

The soldier withdrew and Nico dropped the book instantly as his muscles failed him. The soldier then stabbed at Nico, but then the sword was blocked by a glowing yellow staff. It wasn't cut by the sword, somehow. Nico looked at the wielder of the staff and saw a stranger in a bright yellow cloak. The stranger had a hood on and the stranger's mouth was visible, but the rest of his or her face was not. The stranger sent a blast of light at the soldier, who instantly disintegrated. The stranger sent beams of light at all the soldiers, who all disintegrated. The stranger then held out his or her hand at Nico, and a beam of light erupted from it. Nico's stomach wound instantly healed.

"Luminous!" Xistrius growled. The stranger, Luminous faced Xistrius.

"You've lost this time, Xistrius." Judging by the voice, Nico could tell that it was a girl. "Begone." Nico then remembered Thalia and adrenaline returned, giving him the strength to stagger to her side. He collapsed and tried to stop the blood from spewing out. Luckily, it worked mostly. Nico then watched as Luminous got into a battle position.

"I will defeat you this time, Xistrius. I'll make sure that Xodius and Sirenius did not die in vain," Luminous growled. Xistrius looked serious for once.

"What are you going to do? Last time the only reason you could suppress me was because you had Phantom with you. And this time, you're all alone!" He sent a blast of black energy at Luminous who twirled her staff in front of her and the beam evaporated. She then sent a beam of light at Xistrius, who dodged and blocked the next. Xistrius then disappeared. Luminous suddenly cried out as Xistrius sent a blast of energy at her back. Luminous went flying onto a wall and collapsed. She got up unsteadily and raised her staff. Several bolts of light appeared and flew at Xistrius, who dodged and struck at Luminous, but she seemed to move at the speed of light. Xistrius then struck behind him with impossible speeds and blasted Luminous back with a tremendous amount of energy. Luminous groaned in pain and got up unsteadily, but Xistrius blasted her again and again with black energy until she collapsed in pain. She was on all fours, panting from the pain and Xistrius kicked her face, knocking her to her side. He grinned and held up his hands.

"Darkness—" Another stranger appeared from the shadows and slashed at Xistrius with a sky blue sword and sea-green sword, but Xistrius leapt back and blasted the stranger with energy, which the stranger somehow blocked with the swords. Nico then realized that _this_ was the real Phantom.

"Phantom!" Xistrius growled. Phantom looked at Luminous' broken form. She was conscious, but very weak. He then glanced at Nico di Angelo and Thalia Grace. They were both covered in cuts, and Thalia Grace had a major wound on her side.

"It's time to be defeated yet again, Xistrius." Phantom charged at Xistrius with the intent of ending the battle quickly. He knew that Thalia Grace could die if she didn't receive help quickly.

Phantom struck with both blades in a cross slash, but Xistrius dodged and retaliated with a blast of energy. Phantom dodged by sidestepping to the right and then lunged. He sent a blast of lightning from the Utherian Blade of the Sky and summoned ice spears from Anaklusmos. He had already tried to control the water in Xistrius' body, but nothing had happened. Probably due to the fact that Xistrius probably didn't have any water in his body.

"You're weak just like Luminous!" Xistrius growled. Phantom smirked and then he disappeared. Then he traveled as quickly as he could, catching Xistrius off guard and slashing the Encryptian several times. Xistrius roared in pain and send a huge blast of energy at Phantom, who was forced to mist travel to the left.

Xistrius then grinned. He lifted his hands and several shadow tendrils, shadow spears, shadow swords, and other shadow attacks formed. "Feel the power of Xistrius!" he shouted before hurling all of this at Phantom. Phantom knew that he had only one option left to negate the darkness. Heaven's Lightning. The bolt that could eradicate darkness. He lifted both blades and concentrated hard. The swords burst into lightning and crackled. Then Phantom pointed the swords at Xistrius. The Heaven's Lightning bolt struck the swords and then sent out a shockwave of light that obliterated the shadow attacks. The bolt itself bounced off of the swords and struck Xistrius, who flew through several walls. He appeared from the shadows and staggered forward. He pointed a shaky finger at Phantom.

"This…isn't over, Phantom. I will kill you and your pathetic friend!" He disappeared into the shadows, but Phantom didn't care. He knew that Xistrius wouldn't die anyways. He sheathed the blades and checked on Thalia and Nico, for Luminous was now standing up and walking over to him. She was still leaning a bit on her staff.

"I'll drop them off at Camp Half-blood," Phantom told Luminous. "Go back to your father and report to him. I need you to take my place as well during the meeting."

"But—" Luminous was cut off by Phantom.

"I need to clear up some things, okay?" Phantom interrupted. Luminous sighed, and then nodded.

"See you later."

"See you." Phantom used the shadows to pick up Nico (who was unconscious now) and Thalia. Then the three of them disappeared into the shadows. Luminous then disappeared in a flash of light.

* * *

After tediously explaining the Chiron and the campers what had happened and leaving quickly before the Olympian gods could find out about Phantom, Phantom found himself standing in front of the graves of Sally Jackson, Paul Blofis, and Megan Miller. Megan's grave was placed next to Sally's. Phantom couldn't help but feel bad for destroying Perseus Jackson. That man had much pain stored up inside of him. Phantom created a rose from the darkness and placed it on Megan's tomb. Phantom had heard of Perseus Jackson's girlfriend, and how she was killed. Phantom had to admit, the pain Perseus must have gone through was extraordinarily terrible.

Phantom stood and stared at Megan's tomb. "Sorry about this, Megan. I had no choice, but it had to happen…" What was this Phantom was feeling? Remorse? Guilt? His thoughts were interrupted by Luminous' voice.

"I thought that you didn't like these kinds of scenes?" Luminous joked. Phantom sighed, knowing what Luminous was talking about. He hated the scenes of weakness and drama scenes like this.

"Why are you here, Shannon?" Shannon Miller was Luminous' real name. She was Megan's older sister. Phantom had teamed up with her after she had saved him from an ambush led by Xistrius. Phantom then ended up saving her from an ambush, and the two somehow ended up as good friends.

"To confirm something." Phantom stared at Shannon at confusion, who had taken off her cloak. She was wearing casual clothes—sky blue hoodie with a yellow shirt underneath, and blue jeans. Her blond hair tumbled down her shoulders. Phantom had only seen Megan a few times and was quite good friends with her. He couldn't believe how similar Megan and her sister looked like.

"Confirm what?" Phantom asked. "How did the meeting go?"

"The meeting hasn't started yet. I need to tell you something." Shannon seemed nervous.

"What is it now, Shannon?" Phantom said, bored.

Shannon hesitated. "Megan never had a sister." Phantom froze at that. "I…I was using that lie to hide."

Phantom drew Anaklusmos and pointed it at Shannon, who didn't even flinch. "Then who the hell are you?" Phantom demanded.

Shannon looked down. "M-Megan Miller."

_CLANG_. Phantom dropped his blade in shock. "M-Megan..?" Then he narrowed his eyes. "No. You're lying."

"I swear on Chaos' name." Nothing happened. She was telling the truth.

Phantom's eyes widened. Then he rushed forward and kissed her softly on the lips. Megan's eyes widened at that, but then they closed. She reached up and pulled down Phantom's hood, revealing the face of Percy Jackson.

The two soul mates were united once more.

But little did they know that this was all part of Xistrius' plan.


	8. The Encryptian Beast

_**Somewhere in the universe…**_

Of all the missions he could be sent on, Karik had to be sent on a mission to rescue some mining carrier called the "_Omen_" in space. Apparently, it had lost connection with the Diamond-mining Incorporation Execution (DIE) base. As he waited for his shuttle to dock on the _Omen_, he readied his assault rifle and pistol. He checked his armor. His armor was at full strength and his personal shields were at full power. He had full ammo for both weapons and he was in top condition. His COMM link was working well and he was connected to the DIE base's artificial intelligence, Serina. She was silent for now, for Karik knew his orders well. He wasn't a special ops soldier for nothing.

Still, Karik waited, bored out of his mind, for the ship to locate the _Omen_ and dock on it.

After about thirty minutes, the alien soldier finally docked on the ship. It was time to start the mission.

The _Omen_, according to his mission, was a very high-tech mining ship that was on a ten year mining mission. As it was returning home to Estrugia, the ship had entered an unknown sector in space and had suddenly disappeared. The last transmission from the ship was two years ago. Why did the DIE wait until now to send a special ops soldier to find out what was going on? Well, in Karik's opinion, the DIE was filled with complete nutcases.

But there was something that was a little strange to Karik. According to Serina, a repair team had been sent to the ship's last known location to see if the team could find the ship and find out if something was wrong with the communications. After entering the same area, the repair team was never heard from again.

Karik readied himself for any dangers. As he entered the ship, he first noticed that there weren't a lot of Satrins (Karik's race) around. Usually, there were lots of Satrins operating the machines and such. Here, the machines were on and running, but there weren't any Satrins running them. They were running on their own. There was also a strange black biomass covering parts of the walls, the ceilings—hell, everywhere.

"I have a bad feeling about this," Karik muttered. He turned on his video feed so that Serina could see what was going on through his helmet.

_Beep._ _"Keep an eye on your motion trackers,"_ Serina suggested helpfully.

After a while, Karik found a station. _"Take a quick look around, and then proceed to the communications station, Karik. We need to know if the communications are down,"_ Serina said.

Karik glanced around. There was no one. Strange.

He noticed that the screen had one word on it. It read: _COMM RELAY: OFFLINE._

Karik thought nothing of this and continued to move.

The hallways were silent, the stations were silent—everything was silent. All Karik could hear was the soft humming coming from the engines. The lights were dim, and sometimes flickered on and off, casting an eerie atmosphere. Karik kept moving. "Follow the arrow," Serina said. An arrow appeared in his helmet, and Karik followed Serina's directions to the communications station. As he walked through the hallways, he passed another hallway—one cast in shadow. The light's flickered on, revealing a dead body. His legs were mutilated and his arms were bloody and bent in weird angles. His head was bent at an unnatural angle to the left, and several ribs were sticking out of his chest. Chunks of his torso and limbs were missing, as if something had infected him and destroyed his tissue like acid. Dried blood covered the walls near him and over him. His mouth was open in a silent, endless scream of terror and pain. The lights flickered off with a soft buzz.

After a while, Karik finally reached the communications station. He walked over to a panel and pressed several buttons. He then faced the screen. **It read: **

**_WEAPONS: ONLINE._**

**_ENGINES: ONLINE._**

**_WARP DRIVE: ONLINE._**

**_COMM RELAY: ONLINE._**

"That's strange," Karik muttered.

_"What is it, Karik?"_ Serina asked.

"The communications are online," Karik said. He remembered how empty the ship was. "It looks like nobody just answered the phone."

_"The communications were offline at your arrival."_ It was then that Karik remembered the huge letters that read: _COMM RELAY: OFFLINE._

"I don't like this. Something or someone is messing with us," Karik muttered. "This doesn't seem like what pirates would do. They would have stripped the ship for parts or just taken the entire thing with them." He tapped a few more buttons. A diagram of the ship came up. It told him that only two of the thirty escape pods had been launched. That meant that at least more than ninety percent of the population aboard the ship should still be here. Karik felt a shiver go up his spine. What had happened here on the _Omen_? Where in the hell was everyone?

_SCREECH!_ The sound of metal sliding across the metal floor alerted Karik. He whirled around and pointed his rifle at the doorway. "Who's there?!"

An inhuman demonic moan replied. It was like the sound those zombies in movies made. Karik narrowed his eyes and approached the doorway. He waited and then went into the hallway and whirled around in a full circle. Nothing.

"What was that?" Karik muttered to himself.

_"Perhaps that was the danger. You should try to find the repair ship for clues. That is, if it had docked on the _Omen_."_

After jogging through the corridors for several minutes, Karik found himself standing in front of the repair ship. He didn't like the looks of it. The hull was covered in scratches, and part of the left wing was gone. Sparks were flying everywhere. The cockpit was cracked and the nose was partially corroded away. The entire _ship_ looked like it had dived straight into a tub of acid. Karik looked around, hoping that the repair team was nearby.

It was. A few meters away, a pile of bodies were stacked. Karik stared at the bodies. It was the repair team. What had done this to the repair team? What was going on with this ship? The answers were never clear. As Karik examined the bodies of the repair team, on the floor below, a grotesque four-legged creature covered in black gooey tentacles with creepy red eyes pulled a body of a scientist towards the temporary hive.

_ Death always strikes in the weirdest ways, doesn't it,_ Karik thought. Did the repair team die from an explosion? The way the corpses were stacked and the damage done to their bodies suggested otherwise. Also, there would have been a sign of an explosion. All that was visible on the walls was a thin layer of the strange, gooey, black biomass. There was no evidence of a blast or violence. Karik examined the repair team's faces. Each member of the team had an expression of utmost horror on their faces. It was as if something demonic from hell itself had come and killed them. Whatever had killed the team, Karik was sure that it had something to do with the biomass lining the walls and parts of the floor.

"Is there a species that can do something like this?" Karik asked Serina.

_"Coming from the records, there are no species that have the ability to do such a thing. Of course, our records are most likely incomplete,"_ Serina answered.

Karik walked towards the repair ship again. "What could this—AUGH!" A black tentacle grabbed him and threw him against the wall. Karik got up unsteadily and aimed his rifle. There was a black monster with red beady eyes staring at him. Karik immediately opened fire on it. The creature roared and ran away, but it grabbed the bodies of the repair team.

"What was that?!" Karik wondered. No answer from Serina. "Serina, do you copy?" Static.

Karik swore. He tried to clear his head. He had to find out what that thing was. He then remembered the escape pods. Only two out of thirty pods had launched. There had to be a reason why. Karik headed towards the escape pods.

As he reached the escape pod chamber, he looked around for clues. Nothing. Just two missing escape pods and twenty eight remaining pods. Could it be that that thing—whatever it was—had killed off the crew of the ship before the crew could escape? _Impossible. That thing got scared off by a few rounds, _Karik thought. Then he thought again. When that thing had run away, there hadn't been any sign of damage to the creature. Maybe it was playing a trick on him. Or maybe it only came for the repair team's bodies. Whatever it was doing, it was giving Karik a major migraine.

He turned to leave. Nothing useful was here. As he neared the exit, he heard that strange moan again. He slowly turned around…and saw a…Satrin? However, something seemed off. The Satrin wasn't wearing an insignia and his clothes were ripped. "This is Karik of the Double Red Special Ops Team. Identify yourself."

_"Roar!"_ Several black tendrils erupted from the back of the Satrin and his arms morphed into tentacles. It was like that creature from before! Could it be that it was connected to the creature like some kind of parasite?

The creature ran at Karik. He sent several rounds into the creature's head, but it kept running without slowing down. It swung at Karik, but the soldier dodged and rolled behind the creature. Karik whacked its back with the butt of his rifle, sending the creature flying into one the escape pods. He then went to a panel and quickly punched a few buttons. The transparent door of the pod sealed shut. The creature got up and pounded on the door, straining to get out. Another door closed. There was a small explosion. The pod had launched. Karik sighed in relief. The creature was fast. Too fast for Karik's liking.

Where did the creature appear from? These things kept on sneaking up on Karik without failing. Karik decided it was time to head for the bridge. It was time for some major answers. If the creature was like a parasite, then it probably piled up the bodies in the bridge. Usually, that was where a lot of the crew was.

Several minutes later, Karik reached the bridge. There was no one here. No creature, no bodies, no nothing. The equipment and screens were all on, however. Karik tried to radio Serina. No luck. Karik cursed and looked around. Then he found it. A button that read: ON was flashing on and off. Karik pressed the button and all of the screens flickered. Karik watched as the screens read: INCOMING VIDEO MESSAGE. Then the video appeared.

_"My name is Mort. I am the chief scientist aboard the _Omen_. If you are watching this, then you are in grave danger," _a guy in a lab coat said. He was inside the same bridge Karik was standing inside. The scientist was holding a pistol. _"You must be aware of the dangers of this place! As soon as we arrived at this area, we suddenly could not radio the DIE base. We figured out that something from a nearby planet was blocking the signal."_ A picture of a habitable-looking planet filled the screens. There were words on the screens. They read,

**_NITROGEN CONTENT: 80.15 %_**

**_OXYGEN CONTENT: 18.72 %_**

**_CARBON CONTENT: 0.83 %_**

**_WATER CONTENT: LOW_**

**_TOXIC LEVEL OF ATMOSPHERE: HIGH_**

**_TOXIC LEVEL OF LAND AND SEA: HIGH_**

"_We sent several teams of scouts down there to investigate. What they found was quite extraordinary,"_ the scientist continued. A picture of huge pillars glowing with energy filled the screen. There were several marines standing in front of it, like some kind of demented photo of friends. _"We also found an underground base that was full of signal jammers. We are not alone in this universe." _A picture of the same marines next to purple box-like things appeared. _"We destroyed these and then found this strange door. Obviously, aliens had tried to seal the pathway to go even deeper inside the base. It was as if they feared something inside."_ A picture of a sealed doorway appeared. There were strange hieroglyphs on the door. The walls looked like they were made up of a sandstone-like substance. _"Being the complete fools we are, we ordered the marines to open the sealed door. Once they broke the door, what they found was very strange."_ A picture of a large hallway appeared. The walls were completely made out of the same black biomass Karik had seen inside the ship. There seemed to be strange dark particles floating around in the air. _"It was a tunnel made up of biomass. You may know that this is the same biomass you had seen while coming to the bridge. And inside...inside we found this...creature."_

The screen flickered for a second and played again. _"The creature was very strangely shaped. It was like some kind of four-legged demonic monster, with black tentacles spurting out from its back and body. It had two red, beady eyes." _Karik shivered as he realized that the scientist was describing the same creature that could have killed the special ops soldier. The scientist continued to talk. _"With the weapons the marines had, they were able to subdue the creature and capture it. Some of the marines had been injured by the creature. The marines brought it in the ship. However, we immediately saw changes in the marines who had been injured by the creature. They were placed in quarantine along with the creature." _A picture from a security camera appeared. It showed several mutated creatures bursting out of a room. The main creature was among them. _"It was not long before the creature broke out of the quarantine along with the mutated marines. Some Satrins were killed. Some were dragged away. They were gathering our bodies." _Chills were running up and down Karik's spine. _"This creature is not to be underestimated. It is a sentient being—clever and very deceptive. You must not fall for its traps."_

_"Then the repair team arrived,"_ the scientist said. _"In a matter of minutes, they too met the same fate of the others."_ It showed the dead repair team all dead, piled on top of one another. The man from before came back into the screen. _"I am the last remaining member of the original crew of the _Omen_. I do not have much time, whoever you are. So I will get to the point." _A bunch of huge letters appeared on the screen. It read: PASSCODE: EXORCISM. _"The ship and everything inside it must be destroyed. You must get to the main engine and destroy the ship. Good luck, stranger. I hope you have more luck than I did." _The scientist lifted his pistol and shot himself in the head.

The video ended.

Karik backed away from the screens. He smashed one of the screens and swore. His breath slowed as he calmed down.

Suddenly, a tentacle lashed out and ripped right through Karik's shields, armor, and chest. Several more tentacles ripped through him. They pulled outwards, and Karik's body was ripped apart. Nobody heard him scream.

_**"Ha ha ha ha…HA HA HA HA!"**_ The beast roared with laughter. It was time for revenge. Xistrius…he said to destroy the one named Perseus Jackson…the Encryptian Beast snorted. He wouldn't kill this Perseus Jackson just yet. An idea formed in the beast's head and he smiled with satisfaction.

He would let Perseus Jackson kill himself.

* * *

After what seemed like eternity, Percy finally pulled away and studied his beloved's face. "I never thought this could happen," Percy said, smiling a genuine smile for the first time in years.

Megan smiled. She leaned her head against Percy's chest. "I never suspected that you were…you." She looked up at her soul mate's eyes. "Why did you lie to me that you killed yourself?"

Percy winced. "I kinda didn't." His grip on Megan tightened a little. "When I said that I had destroyed Perseus Jackson, I wasn't really lying. That part of me had died. _I_ had destroyed it."

Megan closed her eyes. "It's been five years. Five years and we didn't even know."

Percy chuckled. "At least we were together. And now…" He willed the shadows to move. They responded and covered the tombstone that was dedicated to Megan. When the shadows withdrew, the tombstone was gone. The coffin was gone. It was just how it was before Megan's death. Megan smiled at this.

After a while, the two sat down on a bench. They cuddled, enjoying each other's warmth. The night was silent—a rarity in New York City. There weren't as many people around, and personally, Percy loved that. He could just spend some alone time with his girlfriend once more.

After a while, Percy decided to ask a question that had been bothering him for a while. "How did you live again?" Percy asked. He winced immediately at the question. Leave it to his awkward ass to turn the situation bad.

Luckily, Megan didn't seem to mind. She rested her head on Percy's shoulder. "Honestly, I don't really know," she began. "I remembered myself dying, and then all of a sudden, I was alive again in the Primordial Palace. Chaos found me, and he told me to just stay hidden. To adopt a pseudonym. All this time, Chaos had known where you were, Percy. He was the one immortal you couldn't hide from."

"Not even my dad could find me. How did Chaos—"

"From the minute you left, Xodius asked Chaos to keep an eye on you."

Percy frowned. "But then how—"

"Well, isn't this romantic," a voice cackled from the shadows. Percy and Megan stood up and whirled around. There was no one there.

"What was that?" Percy whispered.

"I don't know. But don't you think it sounds like—" The voice interrupted Megan from finishing her question.

"This is sweet, and it is nice to see you two together again, but I have to admit." A figure stepped out from the shadows. It was Xistrius. "I truly hate romantic endings."

Percy's two swords appeared in his hands. "Xistrius," he growled. Megan's staff appeared in her hands and it glowed brightly.

Xistrius smiled. "Don't worry, Jackson. I only came here to talk." Percy and Megan didn't lower their weapons.

"Soon, my brother will be freed from his prison, and this universe will fall. Why fight against us? I have already created an army so massive it could destroy Earth within minutes," Xistrius continued, as if nothing had happened. "You cannot win, Jackson. You will never win. Even if you defeat us, we will simply come back and destroy this universe and you with it another day."

Percy growled. "If you come back, I'll just beat you down again. You can never win."

Xistrius chuckled. He hesitated, and then suddenly took a step forward. Percy and Megan instantly snapped into their respective stances. Xistrius chuckled even more. "So easy to scare. I _did_ say that I only came here to talk." Percy and Megan shifted. Something was wrong. Xistrius wasn't one for peace. The couple knew that he was up to something. They just had to figure out what.

Percy pointed one of his swords at Xistrius. "I only came here to ask you this, Perseus Jackson," Xistrius said, his eyes gleamed with the evil and darkness that he stood for.

"Will you survive, or perish?" Xistrius asked. Percy and Megan frowned in confusion at this.

_**"DIE!"**_ Percy and Megan whirled around. A huge four-legged beast ran at them. The ground shook with each step the beast took. It had massive red eyes, was covered in black tentacles, and two bat wings sprouted from its back. It was the true definition of butt-ass ugly.

"Behold!" Xistrius laughed, while fading into the shadows. "The Encryptian Beast! Now, spawn of my brother Exon, KILL!" Xistrius faded completely into the darkness.

Percy and Megan paled. The spawn of his brother Exon? The two were shaken out of their thoughts (literally) as the Encryptian Beast came closer. "Split up!" Percy shouted. Percy leaped right, using his rocket boosters to help him. Megan teleported to the left. The Encryptian Beast charged right past them. The beast then spun around and charged at Percy. Percy flew into the air and raised the Utherian Blades of the Sea and Sky towards the sky. Both swords erupted in lightning. Percy then let out a yell and swung both swords in a cross motion, and the Heaven's Lightning arched towards the Encryptian Beast, striking it right in its face. The beast roared in pain.

_**"YOU WILL BURN, JACKSON!"**_ Percy had a sudden sense of déjà vu. Distracted, he was too late to see the tentacle flying at him. He tried to dodge, but the tentacle caught him in the side and sent him flying into a building. With Xodius' blessing, Percy was a lot more resilient to injuries, but this still hurt like hell. Mortal employees got up from their seats in surprise and stared at Percy. Some yelled something at Percy, but he didn't bother to listen. He flew out of the building and summoned the power of the skies and sea, sending both a massive lightning strike and a geyser at the Encryptian Beast. Megan shot beams of light at the beast, blinding it and sending it back.

_**"AUGH!" **_The Encryptian Beast was being pushed back slowly. Percy and Megan continued, but Percy could tell that the both of them were losing their stamina, while the Encryptian Beast seemed in pain, but unharmed.

Percy landed next to Megan, who was breathing heavily. "I just get you back, and now we're already fighting for our lives?!" Megan growled. Percy nodded.

"HA!" Percy sent a massive bolt of Heaven's Lightning at the Encryptian Beast, who was sent flying. Unfortunately, the Encryptian Beast crashed into a building, causing it to topple. Percy and Megan paled. There were probably thousands of mortals in that building. The Encryptian Beast got up and roared.

_**"I WILL NOT BE DEFEATED BY TWO MORTALS!" **_The Encryptian Beast charged once more with renewed vigor. Megan sent a blinding beam of light at the Encryptian Beast, and Percy lifted his hands, calling upon his equilibrium of power. His right hand burst into blinding light, and his left hand was cocooned by shadows. The two mixed and lightning struck, forming Chaos' Bolt. The bolt of light and darkness combined. Percy had only used this bolt once on Bane, but he liked the outcome. He threw the bolt like a javelin at the Encryptian Beast. There was a huge explosion as the power of Chaos sent the Encryptian Beast flying once more.

The Encryptian Beast growled and got up. Suddenly, the earth erupted next to Percy, and massive tentacle wrapped itself around Megan and squeezed. Megan screamed in pain and Percy rushed to save her. He sliced several times and the tentacle fell apart, dropping Megan into Percy's waiting arms. Megan was shaking in pain. Her right arm was bent in an unnatural angle.

"Ribs are broken," Megan whispered. She placed a hand on her stomach and began to heal herself. "Go. I'll catch up."

Percy nodded. Before he went, he gave the Utherian Blade of the Sky to Megan. "Just in case," he said before running towards the Encryptian Beast. Fury surged inside him. His speed increased and he slashed several times. The water underneath the ground responded violently, ripping through the ground and hardening into thousands of razor sharp icicles, which all flew at the Encryptian Beast at high speeds, piercing the beast's skin. The Encryptian Beast roared in pain and sent several black tendrils at Percy, who sliced and dodged and rolled. One of the tendrils got a lucky hit, smacking Percy away. Percy got up and growled. His anger surged and he then lost control. Exon's power had awakened for the second time.

His body morphed and then Percy stood, renewed with strength. He was somehow in control. Percy felt like his body was finally ready to control Exon's power. It was time to kill. The Encryptian Beast roared as it identified Percy. How was it that a simple demigod managed to use Exon's power?! The Encryptian Beast raised one massive paw, ready to turn Percy into a pancake. Percy, still half-driven by the beast's power inside of him, simply raised his hand. The paw was stopped by one hand. The ground underneath cracked and began to collapse from the weight, but Percy was unharmed by the pressure. In fact, it felt comfortable. The Encryptian Beast growled. Percy grinned and pushed the beast off casually. He then flew into the air and raised his hands. Heaven's Lightning erupted from the sky and struck the Encryptian Beast directly, giving it the universe's biggest electric shock. Percy then roared, and he thrust out one hand towards the Encryptian Beast and a huge beam of pure energy flew at the beast. A huge explosion rocked the buildings of Manhattan.

The beast roared in pain. There was visible crater on its head, but it advanced. Percy dropped to the ground and launched himself at the Encryptian Beast. He moved so fast that any mortal watching would not have been able to see Percy at all. Percy slashed with his claws and stabbed with Anaklusmos. The Encryptian Beast stumbled around like some idiotic animal and tried in vain to strike Percy. However, as powerful as the Encryptian Beast was, it could not compete with Percy's power and skill.

Or could it?

As Percy fought more and more, he could feel his stamina drastically diminish. He had to end this now. He flew back and lifted his hands. But this time he did something different. Calling upon the powers of Xodius and the power of Hylia, Percy sent both Heaven's Lightning and Chaos' Bolt at the Encryptian Beast. A huge blast was the result. The blast was so loud and big that it could have made Zeus' master bolt seem like a mortal being trying to destroy the Earth by snapping his/her fingers.

Percy was now back to his normal self. Exhausted, he waited to see if the Encryptian Beast was alive or not. Megan teleported next to him and hugged him. Tired as hell, he weakly returned the hug. The smoke cleared and a roar rang out through the streets of Manhattan. Percy and Megan paled. The Encryptian Beast stepped towards them. _**"FOOLS. DID YOU THINK THAT YOU COULD DEFEAT ME? THE TRUE SON OF EXON?" **_The Encryptian Beast lashed out at Megan again, and Percy's eyes widened. He grabbed Megan and they both fell towards the ground and the tendril sailed over their heads. Percy got up and raised Riptide, but the Encryptian Beast wasn't finished yet. He lashed out again before Percy could react, and a small tendril wrapped itself around Percy's right arm—his sword arm. The Encryptian Beast lifted Percy into the air and squeezed. Its eyes flashed and smoke started to rise from Percy's limbs. His limbs felt like they were on fire. Percy yelled in pain and Megan lifted her hands to free Percy, but the Encryptian Beast struck her, sending her flying. The Encryptian Beast regarded Percy coldly and squeezed harder. Percy felt his right arm bone crack—wait, what?! Bone…crack…could it be that…

The Encryptian Beast threw Percy into the ground, creating a crater. Percy lay still, too weak to get up. His right arm throbbed. Suddenly, Percy realized what had happened. The Encryptian Beast had _healed _him. His biological limbs were back. Percy glanced at his right arm. Nothing had changed.

_**"Yes, I healed you, boy. But only so I could make your life miserable!" **_The Encryptian Beast roared. Percy didn't understand. He glanced at his right arm again. Then he saw it.

Black scars covered his forearm. Percy didn't know what they were, but he didn't want to find out. _**"Now for your soul mate. Observe, Perseus Jackson, as I destroy the one you love so much."**_

"HA!" Lightning flashed. A huge streak of light appeared, looking like someone had taken a giant axe and swung it, but the motion still remained. The Encryptian Beast's eyes widened. It fell apart into two pieces. Then it exploded, sending blood everywhere. Percy slowly sat up. A figure walked towards him.

The stranger was clear now. He seemed to be 20 years old, and had black hair. It covered one of his eyes, which were sky-blue and sparked with electricity. He wore strange armor and had a red cape that reached down to his ankles. He had gray greaves and black gauntlets. He was carrying a massive pole arm, which he carried like it weighed nothing.

"Who—?" Percy couldn't say anymore.

"Ma name's Andrew," Andrew said. "Andrew Frigg. Son of Thor."

Percy opened his mouth to answer, but then collapsed in pain. His right arm had suddenly flared up, and he felt like his body was being ripped into two. Everything went black as Percy dived into the world of unconsciousness.

* * *

Andrew stared at Percy uneasily. He wasn't sure what to do. Was this kid having a seizure or something? Just then, a pretty blond girl teleported next to Andrew, making him jump. "Thor's goats, girl! Don't scare me like that!"

"What happened to Percy?!" the girl demanded. Andrew shrugged.

"He just collapsed. I'm guessing that kid over there is Percy?"

The girl's eyes widened. She teleported (somehow) and appeared next to the kid. She held him in her arms. "What about the beast?"

Andrew shrugged. "That massive butt-ugly thing? I killed it. Not that hard to kill. Took only one hit."

The girl's eyes widened. Then she regarded the kid (Andrew was starting to get pissed off.). "Uh, what's your name?" Andrew asked.

"Megan Miller." _EMINEM!_ Andrew immediately thought. "And _this_ is Percy. I need to go."

Andrew shifted on his feet. "Then go. You shouldn't hold it in if you gotta go potty."

"No, you dimwit, I'm talking about to the Primordial Palace!"

"The wut."

"The palace of the Protogenoi!"

Andrew scratched his head. "Uh…I got nothing. Can you just like, take me there and give me a tour or something?"

Megan muttered something which Andrew didn't think was friendly. "Fine," she snapped.

"Okay!" Andrew leaped over to Megan and grabbed her hand. "Tour time!"

The three disappeared in a flash of light. After they disappeared, a cloaked figure came out from the shadows. He frowned. "So they defeated the Encryptian Beast…I must inform master." The stranger disappeared.

* * *

The Council of the Ultimates had begun. Chaos was about to start discussing why he had called this meeting after billions of years, but then a flash of light interrupted him. Luckily, neither Chaos nor the other Ultimates were easily angered. They stared at the spot where the flash of light had come from. Three teens tumbled. It was Megan, Percy, and another teenager. Percy was unconscious. Megan stumbled towards Chaos.

"Help…Percy." She collapsed at Chaos' feet.

The other Ultimates stared at the newcomer. He raised his hands and displayed a peace sign. "Uh…sup?"

* * *

_**Somewhere in deep space...**_

Fourteen billion years he had waited. And now, he sensed it. The power of Hylia. The fourth Utherian.

For the first time in fourteen billion years, X opened his eyes.

_**Primus...**_ he thought. X smiled crookedly. _**Which path will you take? That of a hero, or that of a monster?** **Will you save Perseus Jackson, or leave him to die? It is time for you to choose, son of Hylia.**__  
_


End file.
